New Bipartisan Coalition Urges Immigration Reform Ahead of 2022 Midterms: ‘We Can No Longer Afford to Delay’

NEW BIPARTISAN COALITION URGES IMMIGRATION REFORM AHEAD OF 2022 MIDTERMS: ‘WE CAN NO LONGER AFFORD TO DELAY’
In letter to congressional leaders, coalition notes that 93% of voters support reforms

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 2, 2022
Contact: Jose Magaña-Salgado (jose@presidentsalliance.org)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today a diverse group of nearly 30 organizations, including the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, announced a new coalition, the Alliance for a New Immigration Consensus (“ANIC”), to call for bipartisan legislative solutions on immigration and border security during the 117th Congress.

The group, consisting of faith and education leaders, the business community and advocates, is working to build support for bipartisan legislative solutions that would provide permanent legal protections and other reforms for Dreamers and agricultural workers, in addition to orderly, secure and humane processes at our borders.

Members of ANIC sent a letter today to Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, requesting congressional action on immigration reforms.

“​​At no other point in recent history has the need for immigration reform been greater than it is today. Simply put, the system is broken,” the members wrote in their letter. “ Millions of workers, many of whom were indispensable to the nation’s COVID-19 response, are living in legal jeopardy. Apprehensions at the southern border are at historic highs. And employers are struggling to find workers to fill jobs in many industries.”

The letter outlines three priorities for Congress ahead of the midterm elections: 

• Address the uncertainty that dominates the everyday lives of so many undocumented immigrants seeking to contribute to our economy;
• Tackle issues facing our border and strengthen our nation’s ability to manage the border in a secure, orderly and humane manner; and  
• Solve the workforce limitations in our agricultural sector that are currently contributing to supply chain issues and raising cost concerns. 

Fall 2021 polling by The LIBRE Initiative indicates that 93% of voters agree that immigration reforms are necessary and urgent.

Miriam Feldblum, executive director of the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration stated: “Our coalition of over 500 college and university presidents and chancellors stand ready to advocate and weigh in with Congress on the urgent need to, at long last, provide a permanent roadmap to citizenship for our nation’s undocumented students, other Dreamers and immigrants, including TPS holders. Our presidents and chancellors, spanning 43 states, D.C. and Puerto Rico, represent a coalition of voices and stakeholders that provides a unique perspective on the importance of immigration reform in our nation’s higher education sphere, communities, and country. This is not a partisan issue, this is a national imperative, and requires bipartisan, forward-looking solutions.” 

“For too long, Congress has focused on other issues and left immigration reform off the table,” said Ali Noorani, executive director of the National Immigration Forum, an ANIC member. “Americans want their elected officials to come together and address their concerns about the ongoing economic recovery from COVID-19, persistent labor shortages and supply chain challenges, rising inflation and border security. We can no longer afford to delay.”

“At no other point in recent history has the need for immigration reform been greater than it is today,” said ANIC member Daniel Garza, president of The LIBRE Initiative. “Simply put, the system is broken. Strategic organization and advancement of a consensus-based immigration campaign presents an opportunity to offer immigration as a key part of the solution to issues that are top of mind for the American public.”

 The ANIC believes that reaching a legislative consensus on incremental reforms to our immigration system in the short term can lead to larger, more systemic bipartisan reforms in the future. 

  “Over the long term, Congress must enact transformational, bipartisan and practical reforms that promote economic growth and reflect American values,” said ANIC member Kristie De Peña, vice president of policy and director of Immigration the Niskanen Center. “This includes addressing the broader population of undocumented immigrants and asylees and fixing the legal visa system.”

To learn more about ANIC’s efforts, visit www.anic.co and follow the conversation on social media channels with the hashtag #ANIC. 

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The Alliance for a New Immigration Consensus is a public coalition of business, faith, education and advocacy organizations working to build support for bipartisan legislative solutions that provide permanent legal protections and other reforms for Dreamers, TPS recipients, and agricultural workers in 2022.

The nonpartisan, nonprofit Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration brings college and university presidents and chancellors together on the immigration issues that impact higher education, our students, campuses, communities and nation. We work to advance just, forward-looking immigration policies and practices at the federal, state, and campus levels that are consistent with our heritage as a nation of immigrants and the academic values of equity and openness. The Alliance is composed of over 500 presidents and chancellors of public and private colleges and universities, enrolling over five million students in 43 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico.