Thread: Immigration reform hopes pinned on new administration

Immigration reform hopes pinned on new administration Congress
Phoenix Business Journal - by Mike Sunnucks

After the November election, business advocates hope to rekindle their push for a guest worker program and legal status for some illegal immigrants already in the U.S.

Their hope is that immigration reform will have a better chance under a new president, whether it be John McCain or Barack Obama, and a new Congress in which Democrats are expected to gain seats. Both McCain and Obama support a guest worker plan and some kind of legal path for illegals in the U.S. and congressional Democrats tend to be more supportive of immigration reforms than Republicans.

The Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry is part of a coalition effort called Mexicans and Americans Thinking Together (MATT). That group has launched new pro-immigration reform television advertisements in Phoenix, Denver, Albuquerque and Las Vegas. MATT backers include Mexican and U.S. business executives, Latino activists (including Arizona State University professor Raul Yzaguirre) and supportive lawmakers.

Former Texas Republican congressman Henry Bonilla is part of the immigration push, along with the Arizona chamber. “We need to deal with this issue,â€

And they just learned that Congress doesn't listen to tens of thousands of angry voters.