Congress and President Bring Immigration Reform to the Forefront

On Jan. 28, a group of eight Republican and Democrat Senators released a Bipartisan Framework for Comprehensive Immigration Reform with the hope of introducing and debating legislation later this spring. The framework from Senators Schumer (D-N.Y.), McCain (R-Ariz.), Durbin (D-Ill.), Graham (R-S.C.), Menendez (D-N.J.), Rubio (R-Fla.), Bennet (D-Colo.), and Flake (R-Ariz.) contained four basic principles: a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants currently living in the country that is contingent on improving border security;  increasing visas for highly skilled workers; a new mandatory employer verification system (different from the current federal contractor E-Verify system); and establishing a guest-worker program. A day after the Senators’ rollout, President Obama released a fact sheet outlining the Administration’s immigration reform priorities. It includes bringing undocumented workers into legal status and other provisions, but it makes no mention of any low-skilled guestworker program.  It also stresses enforcement on employers and creates a “labor law enforcement fund’ to help ensure that industries that employ significant numbers of immigrant workers comply with labor laws.” In the House, a small bipartisan group is working on their own priorities for reform and they are expected to release more information on it in the coming weeks. AGC has a number of priorities for immigration reform and will be working to ensure they are ultimately included in legislation. They include eliminating vicarious liability for subcontractors hiring; ensuring penalties are commensurate with any violations; establishing an opportunity for earned legal status of undocumented workers; creation of a new visa program to legally alleviate worker shortages; ensuring any new law will preempt the patchwork of state and local laws around the country; and requiring that any new mandatory electronic verification system must be reliable and that mandates should cover only new hires and include reasonable deadlines and liability safeguards. Immigration reform remains a top priority for President Obama for his second term; however, getting comprehensive immigration passed by both the House and Senate remains an uphill challenge. Smaller, piece-meal legislation may ultimately be all that Congress can pass. For more information, please contact Jim Young at (202) 547-0133 or youngj@agc.org.