Virginia business leaders call for immigration reform

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Partnership for a New American Economy, American Farm Bureau Federation, Business Roundtable, AmericanHort, Western Growers, and the National Association of Manufacturers today urged Congress and the administration to work together to enact immigration reform during a Day of Action with events in Washington, DC and in more than 60 congressional districts across 25 states.

Concurrent to a national press conference in Washington, DC, a press conference was hosted at the Virginia General Assembly Building. The event was keynoted by John Easter, Senior Vice President of Government & Community Affairs for the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce and Danny Vargas, President of VARCom Solutions, LLC. The coordinated events aim to show that across industries, sectors, and geographies the business community needs our immigration laws to be modernized.

This event was complemented by another press conference in Norfolk featuring Delegate Glenn Davis (R-Virginia Beach) and former Virginia Tech Agriculture Extension Agent Calvin Schiemann.

“Eighty percent of Virginians believe that Congress should act this year to reform our immigration system,” said John Easter, Senior Vice President of Government & Community Affairs for the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce. “By securing our borders, expanding opportunities for high-skilled workers to obtain visas, and improving our employer verification programs, we can implement the necessary change to fix a broken system. It’s time for Washington to stop the delay and find a solution to this public policy challenge.”

Danny Vargas, President, VARCom Solutions, LLC, and member of the board of directors of the Fairfax Chamber of Commerce echoed those sentiments.

“It’s long past time for Congress to address the immigration challenge. The data shows that Virginians of all political persuasions overwhelmingly favor commonsense reform measures that meet the needs of our economy, our security, and our society’s way of life,” said Vargas. “Voters expect that their elected officials in Washington will work together to pass meaningful reform legislation … this year.”