With Washington on the brink of meltdown with large portions of Colorado attempting to get back on its feet after flooding and the possibility of a complete government shutdown looming, business leaders on Monday urged Congress to not forget about the need for immigration reform.
A mammoth piece of legislation for comprehensive immigration reform, which was created by a group of bipartisan Gang of Eight Senators, was able to pass through the Senate back in June but after a sleepy summer recess and a start to the fall that has been focused on averting yet another economic disaster, Congress seems to have entirely forgotten about the need to fix the immigration system of the United States, something that even a number of Republicans have previously admitted is needed to save their party after their crushing defeat at last year’s election.
This is why a group of Colorado businesses decided to remind them about the issue on Monday. “We are relying on our members of Congress to deliver an immigration system better suited to meet our 21st century needs,” says Pat Hamill, a real estate magnate who is also the chairman of the Colorado Concern, which is an alliance of over 100 business executives. “Virtually every industry in Colorado will benefit from comprehensive immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship to guarantee the stable workforce we need to build our businesses and Colorado’s economy.”
Republicans in the House of Representatives have refused to consider the Senate bill and say they will vote on their own package of bills to enhance border security.