On Monday June 30th in a fifteen-minute prepared speech, President Barack Obama announced his intentions to take executive action on immigration reform measures that failed to be taken up by the House of Representatives since the Senate passed S.744 last year (Read Full Transcript Here, Watch Full Video Here).
Obama remarked, “I take executive action only when we have a serious problem, a serious issue and Congress chooses to do nothing. And in this situation, the failure of the House Republicans to pass a darn bill is bad for our economy and bad for the country.”
In his first action, Obama will direct Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and Attorney General Eric Holder to shift immigration enforcement resources from the interior section of the United States to the border. Secondly, Obama is asking his cabinet and administration officials to send him recommendations by the end of the summer on other additional measures that he can pursue without congressional approval.
IIUSA Tracking Immigration Reform Closely
With an enhanced and permanent EB-5 Regional Center Program likely part of the immigration reform debate (See IIUSA’s Regional Center Industry Advocacy Platform), IIUSA continues to closely monitor developments congress and especially the House of Representatives over the past few months.
In fact, the most recent introduction of immigration legislation, H.R. 4659 or the EB-5 Regional Center Extension Act of 2014 would permanently authorize the EB-5 Regional Center Program and eliminate per country caps on visa allocations. IIUSA wholeheartedly supports the legislation as an important step to continue the Program’s track record of U.S. job creation. An IIUSA-commissioned peer reviewed economic study from 2012 showed that EB-5 investments supported over 42,000 U.S. jobs and contributed $3.39 billion to the GDP during more than double the economic impact seen in FY2011-2012.
IIUSA Launches New Advocacy Software to Empower EB-5 Advocates
Last month, IIUSA unveiled its new Legislative Action Center which will empower EB-5 stakeholders to tell their stories of capital formation and resulting U.S. job creation to federal decision makers in Congress. Using the links and fact sheets provided on the portal, IIUSA members can now easily and conveniently send messages directly to Congress or local media outlets with a few clicks of the mouse, look up the correct offices in the Senate and House, and learn more about IIUSA’s advocacy efforts.
To learn more, visit www.advocacy.iiusa.org and make your voice heard in support of the EB-5 Regional Center Program today!
