Small Business Majority Joins President to Talk Immigration Reform

Virginia Donohue, a small business owner in Small Business Majority̢??‰?s network and John Arensmeyer, Founder & CEO of Small Business Majority, joined President Obama at the Betty Ong Chinese Recreation Center in San Francisco on Monday to discuss how immigration reform will impact small businesses and the economy.

Donohue stood alongside other small employers, business leaders, elected officials and advocates as President Obama talked about the importance of passing comprehensive immigration reform now. The president̢??‰?s speech highlighted the ̢???Gang of Eight̢???? immigration reform bill passed by the Senate, which targets key problems within our broken immigration system̢??‰۝many of which, if fixed, would significantly boost our economy and small businesses. The president urged the House of Representatives to take up this piece of legislation as soon as possible.

Donohue and her husband own Pet Camp, a local business that provides pet care services. Donohue took time out of running her business to attend this event because she believes strongly in comprehensive immigration reform. ̢???I̢??‰?m very much looking forward to seeing comprehensive reform that promotes smart, rational immigration policies and ensures we have a reliable and skilled workforce who are part of stable, productive communities,̢???? said Donohue. ̢???This is a nation of immigrants, and we should craft policies that encourage immigrants to navigate opportunities in the U.S. to become a part of our workforce or even start businesses themselves.̢????

The president discussed several aspects of the Senate-passed bill most important for small businesses, such as increasing the number of visas for legal immigrants who have advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering or mathematics and a pathway to citizenship for our country̢??‰?s 11 million undocumented immigrants. Small Business Majority̢??‰?s scientific polling found more than eight in 10 small business owners support increasing visas for immigrants with specialized skills and they strongly believe creating a path to earned citizenship is the most appropriate solution for handling our country̢??‰?s undocumented immigrants. What̢??‰?s more, 87 percent support requiring illegal immigrants with no criminal record to register for legal status, pass a background check, learn English, pay a fine and pay taxes. A broad three-quarters agree the argument that turning 11 million undocumented immigrants into taxpayers̢??‰۝which would add $1.5 trillion to the economy over the next 10 years and produce a net increase in tax revenue of $4.5 billion to $5.4 billion in the first three years alone̢??‰۝makes them view the Senate̢??‰?s comprehensive reform plan positively.

̢???Small business owners understand that fixing our country̢??‰?s immigration system will help them foster better workforces, which will bolster their bottom lines and our economy as a whole,̢???? said John Arensmeyer. ̢???Increasing the number of pathways for immigrants to come to this country, stay legally and pay taxes will strengthen our economy and encourage a robust and diversified business sector. Everyone benefits when we encourage hard-working immigrants to bring their skillsets to the U.S. and let previously undocumented immigrants legally join our workforce, pay taxes and contribute in a meaningful way to our economy. We hope lawmakers include provisions protecting small businesses from onerous reporting requirements, but also move this critical legislation forward in the House in a timely manner.̢????