House Legislation Seeking to Undo President's Executive Actions on Immigration Reform a Step Back for Entrepreneurs
Statement by John Arensmeyer, Founder & CEO of Small Business Majority, on the passage today by the U.S. House of Representatives of amendments that would revoke the president's executive actions on immigration reform
The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation today that seeks to revoke the president's recent executive actions on immigration reform, which is disappointing news for small employers looking for qualified workers. Specifically, the House passed a series of amendments to the spending bill for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that would undo the president's executive actions, such as shielding certain immigrants from deportation and making it easier for employers to hire immigrants.
It's disappointing the House of Representatives passed this legislation. We know from our polling that having access to a qualified workforce is of paramount importance to entrepreneurs looking to grow and expand their businesses. Our scientific opinion poll found 1 in 5 small business owners who have hired immigrants say it's because they can't find enough U.S. citizens to fill jobs. In fact, many small employers who have chosen to hire immigrants say one of the biggest challenges they face in using immigrant labor is concern about following the letter of the law.
This underscores why it's critical to improve our immigration system and make it easier for employers to understand and comply with its requirements—and why the president's executive actions are so crucial.
Rather than working against steps to improve our broken immigration system, we need Congress to move forward on comprehensive reform. This would create a more stable workforce—something small businesses desperately need right now—and pad our country's coffers. Specifically, two-thirds of small business owners believe we should allow more low-skilled foreign workers who might work in the agricultural, restaurant or service industries into this country legally. And a vast three-quarters agree the most appropriate solution for handling the 11 million undocumented immigrants is to create a path toward citizenship so those here illegally can become legal taxpayers, pay their fair share and work toward citizenship in the future.
A resounding 88 percent of small employers believe our current immigration system is broken. We hope Senate lawmakers will listen to small employers on this issue and vote against these attempts to undo reforms that benefit small businesses.
About Small Business Majority
Small Business Majority is a national small business advocacy organization, founded and run by small business owners to focus on solving the biggest problems facing America's 28 million small businesses today. Since 2005, we have actively engaged small business owners and policymakers in support of public policy solutions, and have delivered information and resources to entrepreneurs that promote small business growth and drive a strong, sustainable economy. We are a team of more than 30 working from our 11 offices in Washington, D.C. and 9 states, with a network of more than 45,000 small business owners and more than 2,000 business organizations, along with a formal strategic partnership program of more than 125 business organizations, enabling us to reach more than 500,000 entrepreneurs. Our extensive scientific polling, focus groups and economic research help us educate and inform policymakers, the media and other stakeholders about issues including taxes, healthcare, access to capital, entrepreneurship, workforce development, clean energy and immigration. Learn more about us on our website and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.