Illinois Businesses Want Protections for Immigrants

While President Trump has promised a crackdown on immigration, multiple businesses in Chicago are pushing back and asking Governor Rauner to step in to protect immigrants in Illinois. The group includes 170 influential CEOs, investors, mid-sized businesses and entrepreneurs, and they are united in fighting against some of the provisions that they believe may harm their businesses. Called the Illinois Business Immigration Coalition, the organization recently sent a letter to Gov. Rauner asking him to sign a bipartisan measure that recently passed the Illinois General Assembly. If Gov. Rauner signs the bill into law, a Chicago immigration lawyer believes that it will provide immigrants and the businesses that employ them multiple protections.

Challenging Trump’s Call Against Sanctuary Cities

The bill would prevent law enforcement agencies from stopping, questioning or arresting individuals solely on the basis of their suspected immigrant statuses. It would also prohibit local law enforcements from coordinating or cooperating with federal agents to arrest immigrants on the basis of their immigration statuses unless the federal agents have court-issued warrants for their arrests. Federal agents could still stop and arrest illegal immigrants on the basis of their statuses, but they could not ask local law enforcement officers to help them without warrants. The businesses behind the coalition include representatives from the retail, service, hospitality, agricultural and health care industries, all of which have been affected by the negative impact of the Trump administration’s hardline stance on immigration. A Chicago immigration lawyer assists business owners with obtaining visas that their workers need to work legally, but some businesses have difficult times securing the visas that they need.

Problems with the Current Immigration Approach

Many illegal immigrants have reacted with fear in the face of the crackdown on illegal immigration by the Trump administration. A large number of businesses depend on having the labor that the immigrants can offer to them. For some businesses such as farms, it is difficult to secure the visas that are required in time each year for their labor needs. The bill would help immigrants to feel reduced anxiety levels. Currently, fewer have been applying for jobs, leaving businesses without sufficient labor to complete the work that they need to complete.

A Chicago immigration lawyer understands the complex arguments about immigration and the right way to approach it. By making the business visa process easier, illegal immigration may be reduced while also allowing businesses to have the workers that they need.