McALLEN, Texas (Border Report) – As the Trump administration prepares to take back the White House, several business and migrant advocacy groups on Thursday said they hope the incoming administration realizes the economic contributions that migrants and asylum-seekers make to the U.S. economy.
Officials with the American Business Immigration Coalition held a virtual press conference on Thursday with business leaders and said they hope the new administration and Republican-controlled House and Senate will pass immigration reform measures that strengthen border security while creating legal pathways for qualified workers and undocumented spouses in this country.
Adam Lampert, CEO of a caregiving and assisted living company based in Dallas, said staffing the caregiving industry with nurses and healthcare assistants requires the skills and talents of immigrants.
“Without upgrading immigration policies, Americans might lose their caregiving ability,” Lampert said. He says it’s imperative that lawmakers “expand workforce visas to fill hundreds of thousand of jobs in healthcare.”
Sam Sanchez, a board member of the National Restaurant Association, said a majority of restaurant employees are undocumented — about 54%.
“Please stop ignoring the needs of our people who live and contribute to our country. If you’re going to deport everybody — if these restaurants close — massive amounts of revenue and income will go on a downfall. We believe that as a business owner, President Trump recognizes this,” Sanchez said.
Jennifer Tilton Flood, who owns a Maine dairy farm, says her company fears they will lose a large percentage of their workforce to raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, and other law enforcement agencies that Trump has promised to engage.
“Mass deportations are very scary,” Flood said. “Especially with our proximity to the international border, there’s a greater chance for families to be torn apart.”
“Immigrants who contribute to our economy should have a pathway to stability. Because this isn’t just about our farm businesses across the U.S., this is about economic stability, food security, which is national security, and it is about America,” she said.
President-Elect Donald Trump has vowed to launch the largest mass deportation in history when he takes office.
An estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants live in the United States.
Workplace raids are expected to occur under the new administration.
Rebecca Shi, executive director of the American Business Immigration Council, says the Trump administration has an opportunity to embrace a pragmatic approach to immigration and workforce solutions that align with its priorities. Instead of mass deportations – which could potentially cost $88 billion in a year and cause economic harm – the organization advocates for “common-sense solutions” that will grow the U.S. workforce in key industries like agriculture, construction, and healthcare.
“Americans sent a clear message this election: Congress must act on immigration,” Shi said. “Over 80 percent of American voters, including 61 percent of Trump voters, support legal status for Dreamers and other long-term workers. … Trump and Congress have an opportunity to finally get to a bipartisan deal that secures the border and fixes our broken immigration system. Businesses stand ready to support.”
“Our economy can’t grow and we can’t meet the needs of our economy if we deport all these people. We are going to have inflation without immigrants in the workforce. There are hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of jobs available that need to be filled that affect us as Americans, and this is a pocketbook issue. If we were to deport these immigrants, it’s simply going to hit us in the pocketbook, because we need the immigrants to push our economy,” Lampert said.
In an earlier call Thursday with immigration experts, officials worried that Republicans will try to overreach their authority and fund some border security initiatives – like building more border wall – by circumventing the standard appropriations process. This could include transferring funds from one agency to another or through reconciliation, which directs certain committees to develop legislation achieving desired budgetary outcomes.
The experts said funding border barrier and Border Patrol staff cannot be done through reconciliation methods and they are calling on incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune to prevent breaches of rules.
Sandra Sanchez can be reached at SSanchez@BorderReport.com.