❗Let's close the gap: We still need your help to raise $40,000 by April 1. Donate now

Business lobbies for foreign workers

Sam Eaton Jul 3, 2007
HTML EMBED:
COPY

Business lobbies for foreign workers

Sam Eaton Jul 3, 2007
HTML EMBED:
COPY

TEXT OF STORY

Doug Krizner: Some bills just don’t die in Washington. Business interests are already trying to resurrect parts of the comprehensive immigration bill defeated last week in the Senate. Marketplace’s Sam Eaton reports.


Sam Eaton: Businesses say they can live without the immigration bill’s increased border security and path to citizenship for the nation’s 12 million undocumented immigrants.

But Angelo Amador with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce says some parts of the bill are too important to give up on.

Angelo Amador: At the very least, we think there should be temporary fixes for another year or two, until we get comprehensive immigration reform and everything back on the board.

The technology industry is now pushing Congress to triple the number of H-1B visas for skilled foreign workers to 195,000 a year. The agricultural lobby wants to streamline the guest worker program.

Amador says increasing raids on businesses, along with a growing patchwork of state laws, are harming U.S. competitiveness.

But with only about 13 percent of the public in favor of the wide-ranging proposal defeated last week, reviving the debate may not be so easy.

I’m Sam Eaton for Marketplace.

There’s a lot happening in the world.  Through it all, Marketplace is here for you. 

You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible. 

Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.