Austin, Texas – The Texas Association of Mexican-American Chambers of Commerce (TAMACC), which represents 26 Hispanic Chambers of Commerce throughout the state of Texas, issued the following statement on the tentative immigration agreement in the United States Senate:

“We all agree that the immigration reform should happen during this session. We cannot wait two more years,” said TAMACC President John C. Guerra, Jr. “TAMACC urges Congress and the Administration to move the process forward.”

Senators from both parties and with help from the White House arrived at a compromise agreement on the basic framework of a proposal to reform our nation’s outdated and dysfunctional immigration laws and provide legal status to the millions of hard working immigrants that reside in this country. This bill is being debated and voted on in the U.S. Senate and it will need significant political support from our chamber members in order to pass.

The agreement is not perfect and has some provisions that will require improvement, but it is a workable framework that has more benefits than downsides – as is expected with any hard fought compromise. Senators Kennedy, Kyl, Specter, Menendez, Feinstein, and Salazar, and their staffs, worked long hours and made sacrifices to help make this agreement a reality.

We ask that both Republicans and Democrats work together in the spirit of America to forge a workable immigration reform bill that treats law abiding and hard working immigrants with dignity and respect. It is time to put aside the divisive rhetoric that has created ill will in communities throughout this great nation. It is time for leaders from both sides of the aisle to work together and enact fair and workable immigration legislation in this congressional session.

As Hispanic employers, we are uniquely situated to weigh in on this debate. Ties of blood or friendship allow us to view immigrants with sympathy and acknowledge their contribution to this country’s prosperity. As employers, we also recognize the labor shortages in this country and the need to find workers to fill those jobs Americans will not perform.

Again, this is not a perfect bill, but the fate of immigration reform rests on it moving forward through the legislative process. Among its benefits:

• Most of the 12 million undocumented immigrants would have an opportunity to earn Legal Permanent Residency (greencard). The vast majority of currently undocumented immigrants will be able to register, and after paying fines and undergoing security screenings, they will receive work authorization, travel permission, and protection from deportation. After eight years and meeting other requirements, like learning English, they would be able to get a greencard.
• The proposed bill does not provide amnesty. All undocumented workers must acknowledge that they broke the law and pay a fine to earn a z-visa granting temporary legal status.
• Border Security benchmarks must be met before the z-visa and temporary worker programs go into effect.
• Ends the backlog of 4 million immigration applications within 8 years. This backlog has led to delays as long as 22 years.
• Includes the DREAM Act. Finally, intelligent immigrant youth will have the ability to go to college and add to the productivity of our nation by becoming professionals, or maybe future Hispanic business owners.

Nevertheless, there are several provisions in the bill that we believe need improvement:

• New verification system will be hard to implement. The new Electronic Employer Verification System (EEVS) must be certified as functional before many critical components in the bill are executed. Unfortunately, the federal government has a bad track record with managing employment eligibility databases. We will want to see a system that works right away while the kinks are worked out of the new system.
• Moving away from family reunification. The new system moves us towards an immigration system that rewards skills and assets. As employers, we understand the need to allow an increasing number of workers with critical skills. The new system would be ideal to help address labor shortages, for example there is a national shortage in nurses. But, we want a system that is sensitive to our community’s sense of family.
• Guestworkers not allowed to stay once visa expires. Many immigrants come to our country to earn money that will help their loved ones, and many go back home to enjoy the fruits of their labor. But, many of the undocumented immigrants here today came to work themselves into the American Dream and to hopefully one day become American citizens. We need to let some guest workers have an avenue to remain in this country. Many employers will be sad to see productive workers go back home despite being model citizens in training.

ACTION NEEDED:

As the Senate begins debate about the final bill, it is important that your representatives hear your concerns about this compromise bill, and the need to make positive changes during the Senate floor deliberations. TAMACC urges everyone to participate in this debate by contacting your U.S. Senators on a toll-free hotline at 1-800-417-7666, and letting them know that you support comprehensive immigration reform that provides fair and humane treatment of our newcomers. The toll-free hotline number will be available through the end of the Senate debate on the bill. Your calls are particularly important because proponents of unfair and restrictive immigration legislation are flooding the phone lines of Senate offices in a vocal campaign against comprehensive immigration reform.

To assist you in your calls, we have provided brief talking points:

CALL TALKING POINTS: