Phoenix-area business and religious leaders are making another push to get Congress to approve immigration reform. They want to make immigration a key issue in this year’s elections.
Business groups in Arizona and four other western states are sending letters to Congress this week outlining why they believe immigration reform is good for economic growth. Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce President Todd Sanders said he hopes legislation will be approved this summer. But, if that doesn’t happen, he wants political candidates to speak up about immigration policy in their campaigns.
“Clearly the primaries are important and people are going to be looking at that…but I also think it’s also a good opportunity to make sure that folks running in the primary know that its important. I don’t think that we are today where we were five or six years ago with immigration. People, rank and file, are saying we need to do something about this” Sanders said.
Sanders said he’s confident there’s enough support to get immigration reform passed in the U.S. House. But, he said politics is preventing the measure from going up for a vote.