On Wednesday, groups all over the United States made a push for immigration reform under a movement known as the Right to Reform campaign, organized by a group called the New American Economy. Also on Wednesday, the group revealed the findings of a new study, which claims that a major role in the economy of the state of Indiana is played by immigrants.
Mark Fisher, the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce’s vice president of policy development, agrees that immigrants play a vital role in the state’s economy, particularly in construction and manufacturing. The group is comprised of the Indianapolis Chamber as well as the Indiana Builders Association, the Indiana Farm Bureau, the Indiana Latino Institute, and the Indiana Restaurant and Lodging Association. It argues that US laws make it more difficult for hardworking immigrants to be hired by employers.
The Indiana Farm Bureau’s executive director, Megan Ritter, says that hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of crops go unharvested and land unplanted every year because of the broken immigration system in the United States. The Indiana Builders Association president, Rick Wajda, says that the immigrant community has played an important and vibrant role in the building industry throughout the nation’s history.
A press conference held in Indiana on Wednesday by the group’s local outfit saw them present statistics showing that the state is now called home by over 300,000 immigrants who earned over $8 billion in 2014 and were responsible for the creation of 14,000 new jobs in 2010.