Immigration

Policy Priorities for 2008

• Continue pursuing comprehensive immigration reform to better secure our borders; improve verification systems for determining whether an employee is authorized to work in the United States; create a new temporary worker program so that employers can hire immigrant workers when U.S. workers are not available; and provide, under certain strict qualification criteria, a reasonable pathway to legal status for undocumented workers currently in the United States.

• Advocate for the continuation and expansion of both temporary and permanent visa programs for highly skilled workers (including the L-1, H-1B, and EB) as well as programs that enable employers to access and keep the talent necessary to compete in the global market.
• Secure additional essential workers to counteract demographic trends; provide for targeted earned legalization of those essential undocumented workers already here; and expand existing temporary immigration programs, such as the H-2B visa program.
• Urge Congress and the administration to address delays, backlogs, and disruptions in our immigration and border management systems that impede the movement of legitimate business and tourists traveling across U.S. borders.