Democrats, industry groups press for immigration changes post-midterms
(Missouri Independent) – Democrats and business leaders publicly lobbied the Trump administration Wednesday to prioritize work permits and other protections for long-term immigrants during the lame-duck session of Congress and beyond.
Official response and confirmed impact
Citing the midterm elections, when Democrats flipped the U.S. House and Senate, and President Donald Trump’s recent admission that his immigration crackdown hurt Republicans at the ballot box, Democratic lawmakers argued that voters were clear about wanting immigration reform before the start of the next Congress.
Congress has a lengthy to-do list for the lame-duck session, possibly including government funding, the annual defense policy bill, the farm bill, a measure to regulate the college sports landscape and permitting reform to ease regulation on large construction projects.
“We owe it to these families to try anything, and I’m willing to try anything,” Arizona Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego said.
He was joined by American Business Immigration Coalition Action, which lobbies for work permits and legal pathways for long-term immigrants, and the South Texas Builders Association, a local trade group that represents the construction industry, which has a workforce that is 30% immigrant nationwide, and Democratic U.S. House members from Texas.
