Immigration Reform

The current immigration system is broken. It provides little opportunity for legal immigration, has created a permanent underclass of illegal workers, fails to utilize the latest technology to verify work status and has created a patchwork of ordinances that creates uncertainty for employers who are trying to comply with competing federal, state or local ordinances. To fix the system, AGC urges that successful legislation must strengthen national security, create a fair and efficient employment verification system, create a program for temporary guest workers to meet future workforce needs in the less-skilled sectors, and find a reasonable and rational way of dealing with the current undocumented population in the United States. The Senate-passed bill met many of these priorities. However, it failed to adequately address the construction industry's future workforce needs with the restrictions to the temporary guestworker program that have been placed on the industry.