IIUSA held its third federal advocacy fly-in of the year on July 26th and 27th. The event brought together IIUSA Leadership Circle members from across the country for two impactful days of advocacy and meetings with key congressional offices and the Administration.
The fly-ins are the association’s on-going initiative to ensure EB-5 stakeholders are regularly present in DC to voice concerns and offer insights to those charged with overseeing and improving the immigration systems. A full recap of the association’s efforts from last week can be found below.
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Meeting with White House Immigration Officials
On the 26th, IIUSA leadership met with Betsy Lawrence, Deputy Assistant to the President for Immigration. During the meeting, the group discussed the challenges the industry has faced since the enactment of the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act, specifically the disconnect between Congressional intent to reform and continue a successful economic development program and USCIS’s RIA implementation.
The conversation focused on evidence that the incongruity between Congressional intent and USCIS implementation has created untenable inefficiencies, inconsistencies, and inequities. IIUSA Leaders Bill Gresser, Noreen Hogan, Adam Greene, Abteen Vaziri, and Lulu Gordon pointed out shifting adjudication standards, inappropriate hiring practices, and repetitious and unnecessary examinations of forms that contribute to a horrendous backlog and a stymieing of productive, job-creating economic development projects across the country.
For her part, Deputy Assistant Lawrence readily acknowledged the backlog issues and committed to reach out to USCIS on IIUSA’s behalf and hopefully help facilitate meaningful conversations between industry subject matter experts and the federal agency to actually help all sides meet Congressional intent.
IIUSA will follow up with the White House in the coming weeks and months and hopes to reconnect in person with Ms. Lawrence and her team during the October Leadership Summit and final DC fly-in for 2023.
Meetings with Congressional Offices, National Conference on State Legislators, and National Governors Association
After the White House meeting, the delegation met with the National Conference of State Legislatures and the National Governors Association. The meetings focused on the legislative proposals throughout state capitals that would prohibit foreign nationals from purchasing land or investing in rural areas across the country.
Congressional offices were eager to learn more about the Regional Center Program and they were receptive to our concerns regarding the Build It in America Act. There will be follow-up on every congressional meeting to keep staff apprised of developments germane to IIUSA’s interests, including the movement of the Built It in America Act.
IIUSA PAC Dinner for Representative Salazar – Sponsor of the Dignity Act
During the fly-in, the IIUSA political action committee (PAC) hosted a dinner for Representative Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL). Although the Congresswoman was unable to make it, her chief of staff, Tom Moran, attended in her stead. The Leadership Circle discussed with him our support for the Congresswoman’s Dignity Act, which aims to overhaul the entire U.S. immigration system.
