ARTICLE
If I asked you today what topic comes to mind as the most heavily debated, I bet you would answer immigration. Immigration has always been an issue of contention going back to way before you and I were born. I remember hearing stories from my grandparents about how difficult it was to leave Ireland and just making it alive to our Statue of Liberty. Signs that read “Help Wanted…No Irish Need Apply” filled New York City. Needless to say, it was not an easy time putting food on the table. Today, I know that it’s because of the hard work of my grandparents – and parents – that I am the first in my family to graduate from college. I am extremely fortunate to serve as an executive at The Chamber. I am proud that I serve an organization that believes immigration reform is part of the solution for creating a stronger, more successful, unified nation. The Chamber recognizes America as “a nation of immigrants.” We believe in welcoming immigrants to reflect the key values our country is based on: hard work, perseverance, taking on challenges, acceptance of culture and showing compassion. It is clear that reforming our current immigration system can benefit everyone, however, we must ensure that we have a legal immigration system that works. Consistency and transparency are necessary to enforce our laws, protect our borders, keep workforce talent, create jobs and provide overall health and safety as we move forward in the 21st Century. Statistics show that approximately 12 million illegal immigrants live in America. It is abundantly clear that we need a path to documentation to allow for proper employment and taxation of them. But that path must not reward those who illegally immigrated because many people around the world have waited more than a decade to legally immigrate to the United States. No person who has circumvented the immigration process and entered the country without proper authorization should be afforded the right to become a citizen, or vote, for a period of no less than 15 years. The Chamber supports: • A federal employment verification system that is easily accessible and manageable for employers. • Systemic reform for green-card and temporary-worker programs for high-skilled and lesser-skilled workers so that the current system becomes more reliable and accountable. • An attainable legal status for the undocumented people in the U.S. as well as an increased capacity for advanced-skill individuals needed for high-priority occupations in order to facilitate a legal and stable workforce. • Improving and enhancing enforcement to protect our borders while facilitating the flow of free trade and travel. • Legislation that takes meaningful steps toward addressing all critical immigration priorities that support business and free enterprise. • Establishment of an effective analytical tool and data-collection mechanism. The Chamber opposes actions which: • Impose unmanageable and inconsistent electronic employment-verification systems. • Lower caps on visas that cripple the current non-immigrant-worker visa systems. • Fail to include a mechanism to ensure businesses a future flow of workers to fill jobs with the best available candidates. The Chamber looks forward to continuing our discussions with our federal officials and Chamber members until we find a solution to the current predicament. Read the original article here.