IARC Calls for Comprehensive Immigration Reform

Thursday, March 17th, 2005 Press Releases by IARC

Contact: Dino Teppara, IARC Spokesman
Washington, D.C.
(202) 347-1223
March 17, 2005

Today, the Indian American Republican Council (IARC) joined a coalition of organizations calling on Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reforms.
“We are pleased to join Grover Norquist and this coalition today. The House of Representatives took commonsense steps to secure our border, stop illegal immigration, reform our asylum laws, and protect us from terrorists trying to take advantage of our immigration laws when it passed H.R. 418, the ‘REAL ID Act of 2005.’”
“Congress also needs to take action on legal immigration. For H-1B visas, the cap of 65,000 visas was reached on the first day of the fiscal year. At the end of the 108th Congress, a bill was passed to exempt an additional 20,000 visas for workers receiving graduate degrees in the U.S. This is a good example of Congress passing a commonsense reform, to reward hard-working people whose talents are needed by the U.S. workforce.”
“Congress needs to increase the current cap of 66,000 H2B seasonal worker visas. These workers can stay in the country for up to ten months and are needed in the restaurant and hospitality industries. Many Indian Americans own and manage businesses in these industries, and they need these workers to help during the busiest times of the year. However, this cap was reached on January 3, 2005. The cap has not changed since the program was first created in 1991. We support current legislation pending in Congress that exempts returning workers from the annual cap, which will allow experienced, reliable workers to continue working for businesses across the nation.”
“These are just a few examples of how Congress can pass immigration legislation protecting our nation and also allow hard-working legal immigrants to continue supporting American businesses as our economy continues to grow and expand. It is important that Congress strikes this important balance when focusing on immigration reform.”
“We are fortunate to have great friends of the Indian American community serving in Congress, including House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, and we look forward to working with these leaders to make immigration reform a reality in the 109th Congress.”
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