Supreme Court’s Split Decision on Immigration a Setback for Entrepreneurs, Highlights Need for Full Court
Statement by Rhett Buttle, President & Managing Director of Small Business Majority, on the Supreme Court’s 4-4 ruling today on President Obama’s executive actions on immigration reform
We’re disappointed the U.S. Supreme Court released a 4-4 ruling today on United States v. Texas, which challenged the president’s executive actions on immigration reform. We believe upholding these executive actions would have helped drive new business growth and ensure small businesses have adequate access to a skilled workforce—something small business owners desperately need right now.
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 as a whole and make it easier for employers to understand and comply with its requirements. In fact, 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 contribute to the economy and work toward citizenship in the future.
Additionally, this ruling is one more example as to why we need to fill the Supreme Court vacancy as soon as possible. An eight person Supreme Court can’t function effectively, which means that crucial issues facing the small business community will remain unresolved, resulting in an uncertain business environment for entrepreneurs.
It’s crucial we repair our flawed immigration system and ensure we have a robust workforce. The Supreme Court’s split ruling is a step backwards for our nation’s small business owners.
For an interview with Rhett Buttle or small business owners on this ruling, please contact Cassie Mills at (202) 289-0957 or cmills@smallbusinessmajority.
Small Business Majority was founded and is run by small business owners to focus on solving the biggest problems facing 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 economy. We regularly engage our network of 50,000 small business owners and more than 6,000 business organizations, along with a formal strategic partnership program of more than 145 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 key issues impacting small businesses and freelancers, including access to capital, taxes, healthcare, retirement, entrepreneurship and workforce development. Learn more about us on our website and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.