Chamber Urges Lawmakers to Pass Immigration Reform

WASHINGTON, D.C. – United States Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Thomas Donohue urged Senate lawmakers to pass urgently needed immigration reform in testimony before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security and Citizenship.

"It has been close to 20 years since the last comprehensive immigration reform took place," noted Donohue. "Our immigration laws are out of date and must be fixed. Doing nothing is not acceptable public policy."

The Chamber emphasized that any immigration reform legislation must include three components. First, it must address—through some type of targeted earned adjustment—the status of undocumented workers who are already here working, paying taxes, and contributing to our economy. Second, it should allow employers to hire foreign workers under a temporary worker system—after employers have attempted to find U.S. workers. Finally, the Chamber recognized that stronger enforcement of our immigration and border security laws are a necessary part of any immigration reform package.

The U.S. population is aging, according to numerous demographic studies. In ten years, 77 million baby boomers will retire and by 2030 one in every five Americans is projected to be a senior citizen. At the same time, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects strong continued job growth in both low-skilled and high-skilled occupations. Experts agree that one of the greatest challenges confronting the American workforce in the upcoming decades is that there will not be enough workers to fill available jobs.

"Our own member surveys show businesses large and small say finding both entry-level and skilled workers remains one of their most difficult challenges," said Donohue. "A steady and available labor force is essential for continued economic growth and prosperity."

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world's largest business federation representing more than three million businesses and organizations of every size, sector and region.

# # #

05-92

A copy of the Chamber's testimony is available online.
http://www.uschamber.com/issues/testimony/2005/050525tjdimmigrationtestimony.htm