Comprehensive Immigration Reform on the Radar Screen

Efforts to bring comprehensive immigration reform back before Congress recently got a push from some immigrant rights groups in Washington.  The National Immigration Forum released a statement of principles that they hope Congress will use as a guide in this effort.  This comes in advance of a planned White House meeting next week between the president and lawmakers on Capitol Hill.  While AGC and other business groups agree with some of the principles laid out by the Forum, there is a great deal of concern about the push by some on the left to create a commission to regulate the future flow of both high and low-skilled foreign workers.  This proposed nine member appointed (not elected) commission would possess the sole authority to set the conditions and the annual limits for visas and green cards as well as entire visa categories.  AGC remains a steering committee member of the Essential Worker Immigration Coalition (EWIC) and continues to talk with Congress about the need for workable immigration reform that would include a new future flow visa program to be determined by the needs of the market instead of a random number chosen by an unelected commission.