In the decades-long attempt to reform the nation’s broken immigration system, a bipartisan group of Senators released a border security framework this week in the U.S. Senate, though the effort is unlikely to advance due to a number of factors.

In the decades-long attempt to reform the nation’s broken immigration system, a bipartisan group of senators released a border security framework this week in the U.S. Senate. Border security remains a critical first step to reforming the broken immigration system and ultimately addressing U.S. security, economic, and humanitarian needs, and AGC will continue to advocate for bipartisan compromises, but this effort is unlikely to advance. Election-year politics, a mounting border crisis, and balancing economic needs are contributing factors to the stalemate.

The framework largely only addressed border security issues and was never intended to address the more systemic labor and economic issues within immigration reform. The next steps for immigration reform in Congress are uncertain at this time, however, AGC will continue to call on Congress to prioritize border security as well as to create legal pathways for essential workers. Specific legislative proposals AGC supports include eliminating work authorization delays and reducing administrative backlogs for asylum seekers, as outlined in the Asylum Seeker Work Authorization Act, as well as instituting a market-based guest worker program to ensure the availability of workers in the construction industry that would be authorized by the Essential Workers for Economic Advancement Act.

The issue remains fluid and AGC will remain engaged with Congress on developing meaningful immigration reforms.

For more information, contact Jim Young at [email protected] or 202-547-0133.