Immigration
Immigrants have played an increasingly important role in the prosperity and growth of Northern Virginia, filling key jobs in every sector of our economy and contributing to the rich cultural and intellectual experience that characterizes our region. The GRCC recognizes that the importance of immigrants to the economy must be balanced by border security concerns and, therefore, supports comprehensive Federal immigration reform that will:
- Ensure an adequate supply of workers to support businesses in this region, including a limited guest worker program to fill gaps in our workforce;
- Continue and expand visas for professionals and highly skilled workers, and programs that support seasonal industries and small businesses;
- Require undocumented workers already contributing to the economy to meet specific conditions and obligations in order to earn the legal right to remain in the US;
- Simplify requirements and processes for worker verification and ask congress to establish a national verification system;
- Urge Congress and the administration to address delays, backlogs, and disruptions in our immigration and border management systems that impede the movement of legitimate cargo and travelers across US borders;
- Apply a commonsense uniform approach to support enforcement of existing Federal immigration laws.