National Bipartisan Effort to Expand Immigration Work Permits Under Current Law Gains Backing of 39 House Members in Letter to President Biden
ABIC Action cheers Democratic Reps. Garcia (IL), Correa (CA), Espaillat (NY), Soto (FL) and 39 House members who are urging the president to issue work permits to new and long-time contributing immigrant workers to ease labor shortage and inflation.
Note: The lawmakers’ announcement of their letter is here.
WASHINGTON – House Democrats released a letter today to President Biden calling on his administration to use existing law to expand humanitarian parole and work permits to new immigrants and long-time immigrant workers who have contributed to the U.S. economy for years. The letter stated that this move “can be one of the more sensible solutions” to chronic labor shortages and inflation.
The effort is part of the growing discussion initiated earlier this year by Republican Governors Spencer Cox (UT) and Eric Holcomb (IN) to let states issue permits. This legal memo prepared by Greenberg Traurig LLP and ABIC Action lays out the legal basis for Parole and State-Sponsored Work Authorization.
“This proposal is gaining bipartisan momentum because it absolutely makes great sense for the economy and for immigrant workers who have labored for years without permits,” said Rebecca Shi, Executive Director of American Business Immigration Coalition Action (ABIC Action). “When you have governors, senators, and House members from both sides of the political aisle backing the same idea, it is time for the White House to carry out the plan.”
Shi lauded the proposal by Democratic Reps. Jesús “Chuy” Garcia (IL), Lou Correa (CA), Adriano Espaillat (NY), Darren Soto (FL), and other lawmakers, for potentially covering millions of immigrants who have lived, worked, and paid taxes in the U.S. for 20 years on average. The letter was also endorsed by 68 Latino, community and grassroots organizations, which are listed in the congressional press release that follows.
In addition, the National Governors Assn. (NGA) is working on similar immigration solutions. Soon after being installed as the new chair of the group, Gov. Spencer Cox, R-UT, who advocates expanding immigration work visas, said immigration is “something we are going to work on as a subgroup here at the NGA, helping to give some cover to Congress to figure this out. Because if you look at the polling, most Democrats actually believe in securing the border and most Republicans believe in fixing immigration.” Gov. Jared Polis, D-CO, is the NGA’s new vice chair.
President Biden already has a letter from 126 major construction, manufacturing, agriculture, landscaping, and restaurant industry leaders and employers, as well as small business owners and chambers of commerce, which asked the administration to allow states to seek work permits to fill job openings.
“It is common sense to allow immigrants who have spent their lives working hard, paying taxes, and contributing to our nation with their perspiration a work permit so they will be on the books“, Shi said.
Click here to read the full letter.
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ABIC Action is the political arm of the American Business Immigration Coalition (ABIC), a bipartisan coalition of over 1,200+ CEOs, business owners, and trade associations across 17 mostly red and purple states. ABIC Action promotes common sense immigration reform that advances economic competitiveness, provides companies with both the high-skilled and low-skilled talent they need, and allows the integration of immigrants into our economy as consumers, workers, entrepreneurs, and citizens.