Mayors and CEOs Join the Fight for Immigration Reform

by Alonso Chehade · 2010-07-03 08:55:00 UTC
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"Our current immigration policy is national suicide. We're organizing to change it," said  Mike Bloomberg, the Mayor of New York and owner of Bloomberg LP, the world’s leading financial news and information company.

To address this, Bloomberg has launched the Partnership for a New American Economy, a powerful coalition of mayors and business leaders who will advocate for an overhaul of the nation's immigration policy. The Partnership intends to run a major campaign similar to what Organizing for America (OFA) did during the health care debate, but has failed to do towards fixing our current immigration system.

The Partnership includes high-profile people such as Mayor Phil Gordon of Phoenix; Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa of Los Angeles; Mark Hurd, CEO of Hewlett-Packard; Robert Iger, CEO of Disney; J.W. Marriott Jr., CEO of Marriott International; Jim McNerney Jr., CEO of Boeing; and Rupert Murdoch, CEO of News Corp. Their goal is to explain to the country why immigration reform is in our interest by publishing studies, conducting polls, convening forums, and funding public education campaigns.

Unfortunately, while this help is much-needed, organizations like Reform for America, Center for American Progress, and America's Voice have already sunk extensive resources into educating the country without any success in getting Congress to act, which is why they have turned to pushing standalone bills like the DREAM Act. With comprehensive immigration reform stalled, targeted measures like the DREAM Act can be stepping-stones to broader reform that we can pass right now — as Frank Sharry, the Executive Director from America's Voice, explained in a video message after President Obama's recent major speech on the topic. Something for the Partnership to keep in mind.

Photo Credit: lensjockey

Alonso Chehade is a Marketing Graduate from the University of Washington best known for his successful campaign to gain the right to remain and work in the USA. You can follow him on twitter: @alonsochehade
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