Immigration issues have a significant impact on California’s economy that affects all facets of our commerce and our economy. In the past and continuing today, immigrants have been an essential part of our state and national workforce. Unfortunately, having unsecured borders, lax enforcement of existing laws and the lack of an effective and comprehensive national policy regarding immigration, has resulted in a multitude of challenges including high levels of illegal immigration and quotas for legal immigration that are too low to meet the demand for skilled and unskilled labor in the marketplace. To ensure California’s future prosperity, the Chamber encourages reform to the national immigration policy that includes an earned pathway to legal status by establishing a guest worker program, improvements to the visa program, steps to secure our national borders, and stricter enforcement of existing laws.

The Chamber Supports:

• Establishing a guest worker program that takes into consideration the needs of specific industries in determining time limits for certain workers.
• Providing greater border security through shared responsibility with neighboring countries.
• The provision of adequate resources to establish an earned pathway to legal status and detain and/or deport undocumented/illegal immigrants.
• A shared verification system that interfaces with state, national, and international criminal and terrorist databases and appropriate state agencies to streamline the process.
• Penalties on employers and individuals who knowingly hire undocumented/illegal immigrants.
• Improving the efficiency of the visa program based on professional service requirements and market demand while ensuring the protection of opportunities for American workers.
• E-Verify, an electronic voluntary system to assist employers further in verifying the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees.