With an emerging consensus that immigration reform isn’t the disastrous cancer its opponents have made it out to be, the naysayers have quieted their protests. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has found that the current Senate immigration bill would reduce the federal budget deficits by $175 million, and research from the Information Technology Industry Council shows that immigrants create, on average, 2.62 STEM jobs for every American worker. All signs point to immigration reform being an overwhelmingly good thing for America, and that’s something that can no longer be ignored.
Over the past few months, Republican political leaders like Grover Norquist, Rupert Murdoch, Jeb Bush, Bill O’Reilly — and a host of others once opposed to reform — have voiced support for immigration. And more than 100 Republican donors and strategists have signed a letter to House Republicans, urging them to move on immigration and pass a bill similar to S. 744.
Polls are revealing a shift in attitude among Republican constituents, as well. Recent surveys have found that 70% of conservative voters nationally would support a path to citizenship with various conditions such as fines, back taxes and criminal background checks.
Logic and facts aside, what else is behind the shift in opinion? Many experts are pointing to the 2012 re-election of Barack Obama as a key factor. With a strong turnout of Latino voters (10.8 percent) and Asian American voters (3.8 percent) coming out in support of Obama, a clear message was sent to reform opposition: Get on board, or get left behind.
Zulkie Partners is nationally recognized for its command of immigration law. We offer services that cover all aspects of corporate immigration law, including nonimmigrant work visas, permanent residence sponsorship and more.
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