Secure America's Workforce: Open Letter from Business Community to Trump Admin and Congress

The following letter about securing America's workforce was sent by the American Business Immigration Coalition (ABIC) to President Trump and members of Congress.

Members of the United States Congress and President Trump,

On behalf of the 1,700 businesses that comprise the American Business Immigration Coalition, we would like to extend our sincere gratitude to the administration and members of Congress for taking seriously the need to address our broken immigration system. As a top concern among American voters, business leaders and workers, it is imperative that we finally pass meaningful immigration reform and fix the system that has been broken for decades.

There are 1.7 million open jobs in America and not enough people to fill them. A devastating workforce shortage means higher prices for Americans, threatening U.S. competitiveness. Across industries, immigrants comprise significant portions of our workforce: 29% of construction, 20% of hospitality, manufacturing, and agriculture, and 15% of health care. Without these critical workers, many of our businesses will struggle to stay afloat and the cost of everyday items and services will increase for Americans.

President Trump and Congress have a historic opportunity to finally fix a problem every previous administration has failed to solve.

By providing hardworking immigrants and Dreamers work permits and green cards to remain in the United States, while securing our borders and deporting individuals who commit violent crimes, we can create a system that strengthens the American economy and secures our communities. This week, we are in Washington, urging members of Congress and the Administration to uphold the following policy pillars:

• Secure the Border: Ensuring a safe and orderly border is critical to maintaining public trust and upholding the rule of law
• Fix the Broken Immigration System: Vital to enhance U.S. competitiveness, and drive economic growth. Reform and streamline the visa processes so businesses can attract and retain talent from around the world, strengthen critical industries like agriculture, construction, manufacturing, hospitality, and healthcare and secure America’s position as a global leader like never before.
• Create Pathways: For hard-working Dreamers, farm workers and essential workers who have worked and contributed to our economy and communities for decades. A clear and practical work permit and green card process is critical to securing our workforce and ensuring that future migration is orderly and lawful. No other administration has been able to accomplish this.
• Protect American Families and Citizens: A modern immigration system should allow businesses to hire foreign workers when American workers cannot be found, ensuring that we remain competitive and creating new job prospects for American citizens.

With your continued leadership and commitment, we believe we can achieve a new immigration system that strengthens our businesses and benefits all Americans by securing our workforce. We look forward to working with you to create a stronger economy and a secure future for our nation.

Sincerely,

Rebecca Shi, CEO, American Business Immigration Coalition
Craig Duchossois, Executive Chair of The Duchossois Group, Inc. (TDG)
John Graham, Chairman and CEO, Sunbelt Holdings
Woody Hunt, Senior Chairman, Hunt Companies
Bob Worsley, Chairman and CEO, Zenni Homes; Republican State Senator (retired), Arizona
Harlan Crow, Chairman and CEO, Crow Holdings
Andrew Tisch, Executive Committee Chairman, Loews Corporation
Bill Kunkler, Executive Vice President, CC Industries
Chris Wallace, Chairman and CEO, North Texas Commission
Massey Villarreal, Comite100 Co-Chairman, CEO and President of Precision Task Group, Inc.
Chairman Emeritus, Texas Association of Business
Ben Conniff, Luke’s Lobster
Laurie Fischer, Founder and CEO, American Dairy Coalition
Beverly Idsinga, Executive Director, Dairy Producers of New Mexico
Sam Sanchez, President and CEO, Third Coast Hospitality; SolX; Board Member, National
Restaurant Association and Hispanics in Energy
Matt Teagarden, CEO, Kansas Livestock Association
Andy Johnston, Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce
Bill Hammond, former CEO, Texas Association of Business
Bob Jones, Farmer, The Chef’s Garden Inc.
Mitch Tempus, Owner, Kennoa Corp.
Janille Baker, Owner, Baker Ranches Inc.
Michael Larson, Partner, Larson Farms Partnership
Lourdes Leon, President, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida
Raul Raymundo, CEO, The Resurrection Project
Keri Schmidt, CEO, Fort Bend Chamber
Dante Galeazzi, Executive Director, Texas International Produce Association
Steve Tobocman, Executive Director, New Solutions Group, LLC
Miren Oca, Executive Director, Ocaquatics Swim School
Ana Valdez, Executive President, Latino Donor Collaborative
Deborah Bronk, President and CEO, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Science
Manuel Betancur, CEO, Manolo’s Bakery
Gordon Quan, Managing Partner & Co-Founder, Quan Law Group, PLLC
Mary Dominguez, President, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Grand Prairie
Stan Marek, CEO, Marek
Gary Ilagan, Partner, Fong Ilagan, LLP
Jake Pierson, Owner, Pierson Nurseries Inc.
Jorge Figueroa, President, Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida
William Lucia, Chairman President and CEO, Bill Lucia Associates
Chris Romer, President and CEO, Vail Valley Partnership
Andrew Martinez, CEO, Texas European Chamber of Commerce
Stella Bustos, Owner, Thera Pillows Company
Jenni Tilton-Flood, Owner, Flood Brothers, LLC
Natasha Winnik, Owner, Originate Natural Building Materials
Cristal Galvan, CEO and Managing Partner, Galvan Strategy Group
Ray Gutierrez, Principal, Houston Construction Services
John Martinez, President Regional Hispanic Contractors Association
Barb Hocker, Director, Galena Area Chamber of Commerce
Hans Breitenmoser, Farmer, Golden Dawn Farms
Cheryl Kuhn, President and CEO, Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce
Mike Murphy, President and CEO, The Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce
Carla Colin, President, The Latino Chamber of Commerce
Santosh Mody, President, Excel Hospitality Inc.
Bert Yen, Retired CEO and President, SB Yen Management Group
Yuri Cunza, CEO, Nashville Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Carole and Gordon Segal, Segal Family Foundation
David Hiller, former CEO, McCormick Foundation
Estefania Roa, President, L.B. Hall Enterprises, Inc.
Eddie Monroy, Board of Directors, Westchester Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Ruben Marcado Jr, President, Ipsum General Contractors, LLC
Elvia Quintanilla, Owner, Texas Technical Trade School
Jerry Morales, Owner, JNC Casitas INC.
LeadingAge
Eddie Mendoza, Owner, Remodel HTX
Melany Laplander, Owner, Group Seven
J.R. Gonzales, CEO and Chairman, Texas Association of Mexican American Chambers of
Commerce
Noah Comerford, President and CEO, Latino Chamber of Commerce of Pueblo
Melissa Taylor, CEO, Small Fish Big Fish Swim School
Robert Hubbard, Owner, Hubbard Family Swim School
Ann Tosovsky, Farmer, Home Nursery, Inc.
Karen Clay, Owner, Swim & Gym, LLC
Sebastian Errazuriz, CEO, Actitud Lab
Dave Kustin, Owner, Element-M
Justin Ford, Founder, Pax Properties, LLC
LuLu Maynard, Owner, Grace Tavern
J Doug Pruitt, Former CEO, Sundt Construction
The Jurgens Family, Caribou Chalet Inc.
Michelle Wilkerson, President, Better Pallets, Inc.
Kevin Mora, Owner, MorA/V Services
Liliam Lopez, President and CEO, South Florida Hispanic Chamber
Kimber Lanning, CEO, Local First Arizona
Daniel Jacobs, Owner, Dandan Restaurant
Divyesh Gopal, Attorney, Gopal & Pedigo, PC
Juan Jose Amell, Founder and Managing Attorney, Amell Law Firm, PLLC
Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce
Ivan Giraido, President Clean Scapes