US business lobby urges moderate immigration stance from Trump

The most influential business lobby in the US yesterday urged President-Elect, Donald Trump to expand international trade and take a more balanced approach to the issue of immigration, two areas in which a hard line has been promised by the Republican leader.

The US Chamber of Commerce informed Trump that companies in the US need to be able to attract immigrant workers to continue to expand. In a letter to the President-Elect, the group hopes that he and Congress will work together to create a balanced course to improve enforcement and security while also improving the nation’s US visa and legal immigration systems. It adds that the ability of businesses to attract talent from across all skill levels is vital to expanding jobs and operations.

The chamber has previously supported the attempts made by President Barack Obama to enact comprehensive  immigration reform, an effort thwarted by opposition from Congressional conservatives, who wanted to see stronger border security before even considering such reform. Trump’s election campaign centered on his promise to increase the deportation of undocumented immigrants and to construct a border wall between Mexico and the US.

Trump has also vowed to tear up the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, which the Chamber also supports because it is bad for ordinary American workers. However, the business lobby claims to be encouraged by Trump’s determination to cut red tape, reform taxes, and rebuild the nation’s infrastructure.