Fronteras

As Congress gears up for its August recess, business leaders in Arizona and Texas have sent letters this week to Congressional representatives, pressing the case for a temporary worker program for less-skilled immigrants. The letters target GOP members of the House who have been outspoken in their opposition to many immigration reform proposals, including Congressmen Lamar Smith of Texas and Trent Franks of Arizona.  Both are members of the House Judiciary Committee.  

The Texas letter was signed by 187 Texas business owners, ranging from large business interest groups like the Texas Association of Business and the Texas Restaurant Association to small landscaping and construction companies.  The letter, sent to Rep. Smith, explained that Texas' most important industries depend on low-skilled workers "when there are no willing and able Americans," and that three-quarters of the workers in the state's construction industry are foreign born, while the restaurant industry counts on immigrant labor.  

"Without an immigrant work force, both these sectors would be severely hobbled and in some parts of the state would come close to collapse. The problem: there is virtually no legal way for less-skilled foreigners without family in the U.S. to enter the country and work in year-round jobs."  

The letter urged lawmakers to support a low-skilled temporary worker visa program being crafted by Congressmen Ted Poe and Raul Labrador. It's expected to be introduced after the August recess. Tipping their hat to the reality of an ala carte House immigration bill, the letter ends:

"We understand and respect that the House will address immigration in its own way - step by step....But however the process works, we urge you to help deliver legislation that provides the workforce Texas employers need to keep their businesses open and contributing to the economy."

Arizona business leaders, in a letter sent to the entire Arizona House delegation, including Congressman Trent Franks who serves on the House Judiciary Committee, outlined their own special needs when it comes to immigration reform. These include more visas for high-tech workers, agricultural workers and a program to protect less-skilled workers who are "vital to the Arizona economy:"

"Nowhere is this more evident than in the health care industry. Home health aide is the fastest growing occupation in America, and in the years to come we will not be able to take care of our elderly without a robust supply of immigrant workers."

The House Judiciary Committee has recently approved measures, the letter said, that would address the need for high-skilled and agricultural workers. What is needed next is a program to provide more visas for less-skilled workers.  Signatories of the Arizona letter to Congressman Franks include the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce and 82 other small and large businesses across the state.  

The letters were supplied to Fronteras by Immigration Works USA, a lobbying organization that supports comprehensive immigration reform.