ImmigrationWorks USA - IW Network News

NEWS FROM THE IW NETWORK

IW HOLDS ITS FOURTH ANNUAL SUMMIT

ImmigrationWorks’ fourth annual summit, held in Seattle on August 11 and 12, brought together 150 employers who rely on immigrant workers for a packed day of panels, speeches and strategy sessions. Mostly small to medium-sized business owners, participants came from as far away as New York and New Mexico and from every economic sector that hires immigrants – high-tech, the service sector, agriculture and seasonal businesses. The program featured three keynote speakers: U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (D-WA), veteran political journalist Morton Kondracke and high-tech entrepreneur and scholar Vivek Wadhwa. Two other standout sessions: a conversation among pro-immigration business advocates from across the country and a panel of employers who depend on immigrant workers – small business owners who know and can explain better than anyone how immigrant workers keep U.S. businesses running and contributing to a dynamic, competitive economy.

Summit debrief

Media

IW AND ITS AFFILIATES MAKE THEIR VOICES HEARD

As the immigration debate heats up across the country this spring, business is making its voice heard. IW and its state-based affiliates published op-ed pieces and issued statements reacting to the framework for comprehensive immigration reform released in late March by Senate reformers Charles Schumer and Lindsey Graham. Their message: business supports comprehensive reform - and any reform worthy of the name must provide adequate visas for future workers.

The Dallas Morning News op-ed 3-19-10

MN Compass op-ed 5-24-10

Colorado Business Magazine op-ed 5-06-10

The Wenatchee World op-ed 5-04-10

Minnesota Farm Guide op-ed and
AgWeek.com op-ed 4-21-10

Arizona Capitol Times op-ed 4-12-10

The Houston Chronicle op-ed 4-11-10

Albuquerque Journal op-ed and Las Cruces Sun-News op-ed 4-11-10

ILW.com California op-ed 4-08-10

The Oregonian op-ed 3-29-10

The Los Angeles Times op-ed 2-10-10
ImmigrationWorks USA statement 3-19-10
Business Working Group statement 3-19-10

IW NEW YORK LAUNCHES A PETITION DRIVE

IW's newest affiliate, ImmigrationWorks New York, has launched a petition drive. Following up on a group letter to Sen. Charles Schumer and a member meeting with him, the coalition is recruiting employers across New York State to sign a statement explaining their need for a legal immigrant labor force.

Their message: "We, the undersigned businesses, creating jobs and positively contributing to the economy here in the state of New York, hereby call on our Senator, Charles E. Schumer, to include the worker visa programs our state needs in any comprehensive immigration reform package."

Members of the New York group have been circulating the petition text to their colleagues, distributing it through their trade organizations and walking the streets, stopping in local businesses to solicit signatures and comments from individual employers. The coalition's goal: 500 signatures. The total so far: 265 signatures.

Petition

Schumer letter

IW PARTICIPATES IN THE DEBATE ON IMMIGRATION REFORM

Senate Immigration Subcommittee chair Chuck Schumer is writing a new comprehensive reform bill. The President has announced he expects Congress to begin debating it early in the new year. And business is beginning to make its voice heard, articulating what it needs in a bill: a pipeline for the workers we need to grow the economy to enter the country legally. ImmigrationWorks is playing an active part in the debate – with regular op-ed pieces and national media presence.