GOP Isolation Grows As Republican Business Leaders Urge Democrats To Add Immigration Reforms To Reconciliation

The Trump wing of the Republican Party is becoming more isolated as Republican business leaders are asking for immigration reforms to be added to the reconciliation bill.

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Republican Business Leaders Urge Democrats To Include Immigration Reforms In Reconciliation

In a letter to Speaker Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Schumer, and Minority Leader McConnell and McCarthy provided to PoliticusUSA, Republicans in the bipartisan American Business Immigration Coalition (ABIC) wrote:

As Republican business and civic leaders of the bipartisan American Business Immigration Coalition (ABIC), we wish to issue our strong support for the inclusion of common sense immigration solutions in the budget reconciliation legislation. We prefer bipartisanship but if reconciliation is moving forward, we urge you to include sensible immigration solutions to grow our national GDP (Gross Domestic Product), spur job growth, and raise the wage floor for all Americans.

In recent months, ABIC met with 41 Republican senators and held 47 public events with Republican and Democrat Senators in support of a bipartisan deal. We heard encouraging words — agreement that action is desperately needed — but, unfortunately, this did not translate to a bipartisan compromise.

Reconciliation offers the best opportunity in years to legalize Dreamers, TPS recipients, farmworkers, and essential workers. Immigrants and employers who depend on them deserve legislation that would bring certainty to their lives and businesses after years of existing in legal limbo. This is not only morally right, it is vital for our economy. There is an undeniable economic need for these immigration provisions.

Republicans Lack Courage And Using Immigration As A 2022 Midterm Election Wedge Issue

I asked ABIC Executive Director Rebecca Shi about the resistance of Congressional Republicans to immigration reform.

She answered, “We (ABIC) met with 41 Republican Senators face to face (senators directly, not staff). We believe there is a deal to be made. There are a bunch of Republican senators who understand and support bipartisan solutions, but no one is willing to step forward and lead because the GOP Party has concluded immigration is a good political wedge issue of the 2022 midterms. The result is they handed the ball off to Democrats to solve. Our economy has 3.1 million unfilled jobs. 72% of American voters support immigration solutions. Not solving this is economically harmful, politically dangerous for the Republican Party, and shows lack of moral courage.”

Republicans lack the moral courage to vote for policies that they support.

The Business Community Is Moving Toward Democrats For An Immigration Solution

The reality of the current political dynamic in the United States is that Democrats are governing, while Republicans are either catering to Trump or spreading vaccine and coronavirus misinformation. It is shameful that so many Republicans in Congress will privately support immigration reform but not vote in the same manner.

The business community likes consistency and stability. Immigration provides a steady supply of labor that helps the US economy grow.

Republicans used to know this, but since they have forgotten everything that they once believed in to worship at the feet of Trump, it will be up to Democrats to pass common-sense immigration measures.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association