EWIC Supports Immigration Reform Legislation to Support our Economy and Stabilize our Workforce

By EWIC

EWIC Statement

October 11, 2017

EWIC Supports Immigration Reform Legislation to Support our Economy and Stabilize our Workforce  

The Essential Worker Immigration Coalition (EWIC) was established decades ago and continues as a vital voice to advance business-centric, balanced immigration reform.  Among the principles we have long-held, today’s debate on Immigration Reform needs EWIC’s brand on national policy that includes:

  • A workable guest worker program that properly accounts for America’s current and future workforce needs;
  • An employment verification system that is easily accessible, fair, inexpensive, and efficient for all employers; and
  • A realistic option for the 10-11 million immigrants in an unauthorized status that are living and working in the United States to earn legal status.

EWIC is a broad-based coalition of national businesses and trade associations from across the industry spectrum concerned with the shortage of both semi-skilled and unskilled (“essential worker”) labor.

At the forefront of the immigration policy debate is the plight of those hundreds of thousands of immigrants in Temporary Protected Status (TPS). These immigrants are hardworking individuals who are contributing to our economy, our communities and our industries.

Regardless of policy, many of these TPS workers have become beyond temporary and are permanent, productive members of the U.S. workforce.  A going-forward policy that recognizes their contribution to U.S. employers and the economy is needed.

Legislative reforms will serve to help stabilize the U.S. workforce for both workers and employers.  Failure to address essential workers in the reform debate will cause turmoil in industries already hard-pressed to find workers like construction, healthcare, hospitality, and manufacturing and create similar chaos in companies with such workers.

We believe legislation that supports TPS workers would help provide certainty to U.S. labor needs and markets.  EWIC looks forward to continuing to work with all involved to find a solution to the nation’s immigration policy problems.