New Bipartisan Coalition Urges Immigration Reform Ahead of 2022 Midterms
A diverse group of nearly 30 organizations, including AmericanHort and the International Fresh Produce Association, has come together to form a new coalition, the Alliance for a New Immigration Consensus (ANIC), that is calling for bipartisan legislative solutions on immigration and border security during the 117th Congress.
The group, consisting of faith and education leaders, the business community, and advocates, is working to build support for bipartisan legislative solutions that would provide permanent legal protections and other reforms for Dreamers and agricultural workers, in addition to orderly, secure, and humane processes at our borders.
Members of ANIC sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, requesting Congressional action on immigration reforms.
“At no other point in recent history has the need for immigration reform been greater than it is today. Simply put, the system is broken,” the members wrote in their letter. “Millions of workers, many of whom were indispensable to the nation’s COVID-19 response, are living in legal jeopardy. Apprehensions at the southern border are at historic highs. And employers are struggling to find workers to fill jobs in many industries.”
The letter outlines three priorities for Congress ahead of the midterm elections:
- Address the uncertainty that dominates the everyday lives of so many undocumented immigrants seeking to contribute to our economy
- Tackle issues facing our border and strengthen our nation’s ability to manage the border in a secure, orderly, and humane manner
- Solve the workforce limitations in the agricultural sector that are currently contributing to supply chain issues and raising cost concerns.
Fall 2021 polling by The LIBRE Initiative indicates that 93% of voters agree that immigration reforms are necessary and urgent.
“Democrats and Republicans have an opportunity here to lead the way toward much-needed consensus,” says Ali Noorani, President and CEO of the National Immigration Forum, an ANIC member. “Americans want their elected officials to come together and address their concerns about the ongoing economic recovery from COVID-19, persistent labor shortages and supply chain challenges, rising inflation, and border security. Consensus-based immigration reforms can do just that.”
“At no other point in recent history has the need for immigration reform been greater than it is today,” says ANIC member Daniel Garza, president of The LIBRE Initiative. “Simply put, the system is broken. Strategic organization and advancement of a consensus-based immigration campaign presents an opportunity to offer immigration as a key part of the solution to issues that are top of mind for the American public.”
The ANIC believes that reaching a legislative consensus on incremental reforms to our immigration system in the short term can lead to larger, more systemic bipartisan reforms in the future.
“Over the long term, Congress must enact transformational, bipartisan and practical reforms that promote economic growth and reflect American values,” says ANIC member Kristie De Peña, vice president of policy and director of Immigration the Niskanen Center. “This includes addressing the broader population of undocumented immigrants and asylees and fixing the legal visa system.”
To learn more about ANIC’s efforts, click here.
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