The Essential Worker Immigration Coalition (EWIC) was established as a voice to advance business-centric, balanced immigration reform to meet the needs of the American workforce and job creation.  As such, we write to express our long-standing views on business immigration and our concern for business and job creation in on-going policy debates.

This week, the Citizenship for Essential Workers Act was introduced by Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Representatives Joaquin Castro (TX-20) and Ted Lieu (CA-33).  This bill would provide a path for millions of essential workers embedded in our economy to regularize their status. 

The vast majority of these immigrants are hardworking individuals who are contributing to our national economy, our communities and our industries. We support legislation like this to protect these individuals. A policy that recognizes their contribution to U.S. employers and the economy is urgently needed.

It is without question that legislative reforms like this 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 and irreparable harm in industries like construction, healthcare, hospitality, and manufacturing, which are already hard-pressed to find enough workers to meet demand in a growing and robust economy. 

EWIC looks forward to continuing to work with all involved to find a balanced solution to the nation’s immigration policy problems and American workforce needs.