Comprehensive immigration reform, September 2003
Proposal
To relieve the shortage of semiskilled and unskilled labor in the United States,
NRCA proposes that Congress should pass comprehensive immigration reform legislation
that would establish adequate legal avenues for foreign workers.
Background
NRCA's member companies face an enduring shortage of workers, as there simply are
not enough domestic workers to meet the growing labor demand facing the roofing
industry. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that in the roofing industry
alone, 50,000 workers will be needed during the next decade to keep pace with the
demand for professional roofing services. Foreign workers are necessary to fill
these jobs, yet these laborers confront extraordinary difficulties to becoming citizens
or obtaining the required documentation to work in the United States. There are
approximately 10 million undocumented workers (about whom authorities know very
little) in the United States today, filling the high demand in the U.S. labor market
for low-skilled workers that cannot be met domestically.
Current law provides construction companies the ability to hire foreign workers
through a temporary visa program (H-2B), which is capped at 66,000 workers per year.
The program is highly complex, and all nonagricultural industries compete for these
scarce visas. Further, "green cards" are limited to 5,000 per year for essential
workers-currently, there is a five- to 10-year waiting list. These limited programs
and the complexity of immigration law make it difficult for roofing contractors
nationwide to access a sustainable supply of essential workers. Recognizing that
the U.S. immigration system is broken, Reps. Jim Kolbe (R-Ariz.) and Jeff Flake
(R-Ariz.), along with Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), recently introduced the
Border
Security and Immigration Improvement Act (H.R. 2899 and S. 1461) to address
the problem by establishing new visa categories that would permit more foreign workers
to work legally in the United States. NRCA commends these legislators for addressing
the issue and looks forward to working with them and others to improve the bill
and enact comprehensive immigration reform.
Policy benefits
NRCA is a member of the Essential Worker Immigration Coalition (EWIC), a coalition
of businesses, trade associations and other organizations concerned about the shortage
of semiskilled and unskilled labor. NRCA and EWIC believe that if Congress addresses
the difficult challenge of reforming the nation's dysfunctional immigration system,
important public policy goals will be advanced. First, by passing legislation that
would allow essential workers to enter the United States legally using simplified,
realistic documentation procedures, Congress would send a powerful message that
it recognizes the critical role foreign workers play in our economy and society,
as well as provide concrete action toward the goal of safeguarding America's economic
future. Second, such reform will strengthen our nation's security. Unless America
tackles the problem of illegal immigration in comprehensive fashion, we will continue
to be vulnerable to those who would do us harm. NRCA urges Congress to fix an immigration
system that serves neither America's economic security nor national security needs.
(September 2003)