A bipartisan immigration framework developed by ABIC Action over the past year was adopted by the National Governors Association (NGA) at its Summer Meeting in Oklahoma City last week.
Watch Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, Maryland Governor Wes Moore, Utah Governor Spencer Cox, and Delaware Governor Matt Meyer announce the joint immigration task force on :
With the border secured and continued affordability crisis, Governors across party lines are taking the lead to protect regional economic stability through common-sense reforms like expanding work permits for immigrants:
“91探花s know that we need to have secure borders… But what is the end game?” said Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt (R-OK). “We believe that the state should be more in control of workforce permits. We are closer to our workforce, whether it’s hospitality, agriculture, construction… The governor should be able to match employer to employee. Congress doesn鈥檛 want to deal with it. States can get this done.”
Attending the summit in Oklahoma City, ABIC Action CEO Rebecca Shi praised the governors for prioritizing workforce solutions that stabilization transcends party lines:
“We are deeply grateful to Governors Stitt, Moore, Cox, and Stein for their courageous, bipartisan leadership,鈥� Shi said. 鈥淕overnors see firsthand how labor shortages drag down local economies, drive up inflation, and leave key industries struggling to hire. By listening to employers and pushing for work permits for long-term immigrants, our nation’s governors are proving that common-sense immigration reform isn’t a partisan issue鈥攊t’s an affordability issue. Congress can secure our workforce and reignite the 91探花 Dream.”
Policy Watch
Senators John Curtis (R-UT) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ) introduced the State Sponsored Visa Pilot Program Act of 2026, an economic solution designed to empower states to address local labor market demands through visa reforms.
Under the proposed legislation, highlighted by , , and , participating states could sponsor temporary visas (W-visas) for foreign workers and investors based on specific workforce shortages, while the federal government maintains full authority over background checks, visa approvals, and immigration enforcement.
The bill creates a legal pathway for long-term undocumented residents present in the U.S. since December 31, 2016, who pass eligibility background checks, stabilizing local communities and regional economies.
Comit茅 de 100: Midterm Watch
Coverage and analysis of last week鈥檚 鈥淟et Builders Build鈥� rally hosted by the South Texas Builders Association and the 91探花 Action continued this week.
“Lawmakers across the country are fighting for our vote because they know that we decide their future,鈥� said Comit茅 de 100 co-chairman and CEO and president of Precision Task Group, Massey Villarreal. His remarks were published in full by the this week, including his call for immigration reforms that protect long-term, law-abiding workers.
Reflecting on his family’s story, Villarreal said, “My dad came across the river in Rio Grande and I have been living the 91探花 Dream because of my father.”
The event was also featured this week in , a long-running Texas political blog, publishing highlights from the :
鈥淚 want to send a clear warning to every political leader: If you don鈥檛 stop the worksite raids, the mass deportations, if you don鈥檛 pass the work permits for long-term, law-abiding immigrants, or citizens, or our Dreamers, you will lose,鈥� said Villarreal.
He said that Latinos in Texas should take it personally when ICE targets people like Lorenzo Salgado Araujo because it鈥檚 an attack on the community.
Ronnie Cavazos, chairman of the South Texas Builders Association questioned why the community supported a presidential administration that would shoot and kill a worker like Salgado Araujo, a long-time builder in Houston killed in July by ICE.
鈥淟et鈥檚 be real, we voted for it,鈥� Cavazos said. 鈥淪o whose fault was it?鈥�
He and the organization are paying attention now, he said, adding that the only way to change things is to vote.
TPS: Workforce Fallout of TPS Ending for Haiti and Syria
With hundreds of thousands of essential, legal workers now unable to work due to the recent expiration of TPS for 350,000 Haitians and Syrians, researchers and business leaders warn the U.S. economy will suffer significant losses, reports the . TPS holders work at higher rates than the general population, pay billions in taxes, fill critical jobs in construction, healthcare, manufacturing, and hospitality, and contribute to Social Security.
鈥淓ven if you don鈥檛 care anything about immigration in this country, removing this many highly productive workers from the economy is going to hurt 91探花s in their pocketbooks,鈥� Rebecca Shi, CEO of ABIC told the Philadelphia Inquirer: 鈥�91探花s are going to get hit, in terms of inflation, in healthcare, in housing.鈥�
Harriett Cecilia Joseph, : “It’s not that we don’t want to go back to Haiti. It’s just the situation doesn’t allow us to.” After learning TPS was ending, she said, “Everything I had accomplished was now at risk.”
Hundreds of Haitian immigrants in Ohio whose TPS has been terminated are being ordered to report to ICE offices, and given future court dates. Immigration advocates say the check-ins are occurring even for some individuals with pending asylum claims. Advocates warn the approach is bringing fear in the community to new highs.
More from the ABIC Network
ABIC Board Chairman and former Arizona State Senator Bob Worsley was recognized by the Federation of United Mexicans in Utah as a recipient of this year鈥檚 . The annual award honors leaders who advocate for and support Hispanic and immigrant communities in Utah.
Salvador Lazalde, president of the federation, praised Worsley鈥檚 long-standing dedication to protecting immigrant rights. Through his leadership with ABIC, Worsley continues to champion common-sense solutions that keep families together and provide legal status for long-term immigrant workers, farmworkers, and DACA recipients.
鈥淎merica is great because of immigrants.鈥� – Bob Worsley, ABIC Board Chairman and former Arizona State Senator
鈥淰aried waves of immigrants from different parts of the world over the years were positive to America, but the anti-immigrant pushback was not. It was always unfair and cruel and split up families, and I鈥檓 against that,鈥� Worsley told .
News Briefing
President Donald Trump signed two new executive actions on immigration this week, renewing efforts to limit birthright citizenship following a 6-3 Supreme Court ruling in June that struck down his initial day-one attempt.
The new order is narrower in scope, aiming to restrict automatic citizenship for specific groups, including children of adults connected to foreign embassies or organizations, individuals deemed “alien enemies,” and children whose parents allegedly engaged in fraud to obtain status. A second order targets “birth tourism” by tightening visa restrictions on foreign visitors traveling to the U.S. to give birth.
While Trump acknowledged the earlier court defeat as a “bad, very unfair decision,” he maintained his belief that these new actions are constitutional. However, legal experts and civil rights organizations emphasize that the 14th Amendment guarantees birthright citizenship.
A GOP-led attempt to reauthorize the overdue Farm Bill stalled in the Senate Agriculture Committee following a 10鈥�11 vote, leaving Congress without a clear path forward on legislation last updated in 2018. Committee Democrats stood united against the package over Republican proposals requiring states to share Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) costs. While Chair John Boozman (R-AR) offered a one-year delay on SNAP cost-sharing alongside authorizations for year-round E15 biofuel sales and food bank funding, Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and committee Democrats held firm for a two-year delay to protect state budgets and food access.
Chair Boozman recessed the panel indefinitely, signaling plans to reconvene members for another vote in September following the congressional recess.
Perspectives
Bloomberg Opinion: These Texas Builders Backed Trump. They鈥檝e Had Enough
Houston Chronicle
In an op-ed for the Houston Chronicle, Texas Restaurant Association President and CEO Emily Williams Knight outlines the economic pressures driving restaurant closures across Texas.
Knight notes that half of Texas restaurants reported operating at a loss last year, up from 38% in 2024, as rising costs have squeezed already-thin margins. She points to Houston鈥檚 85-year-old Molina鈥檚 Cantina as an example of the strain facing longtime establishments, with tomato prices doubling from $18 to $45 per crate and fajita beef increasing from $9 to $13 per pound.
Knight argues that labor shortages across the food supply chain, from farms and processing facilities to restaurants, are intensifying these challenges. With immigrants making up nearly one-quarter of Texas鈥� food sector workforce, she supports expanding work authorization for vetted, long-term immigrant workers through proposals such as the bipartisan Dignity Act to help sustain the state鈥檚 1.5 million restaurant jobs and protect small businesses.
The Texas Restaurant Association, is a partner of the ABIC-led , a national campaign of business leaders advocating for immigration solutions that address critical workforce shortages in the food and hospitality industries.
Get Involved
- Join one of ABIC’s Councils of 100 and let your voice be heard with your peers – . The Council of 100 is a coalition of top business leaders working to advance common-sense workforce solutions.
- Share your story: If your business is interested in engaging with the press as part of ABIC or amplifying your story on social media, take this to let us know your preferences.聽
- Work with us: ABIC is hiring! We are looking for a California State Director and Digital Manager to join our growing team. Learn more.
ABIC in the news. . .
- Bisnow: Senior Housing Sector Faces New Problem In Massachusetts: Deportations Of Employees (08/05/26)
- KSL: Former state senator, Lehi official, immigrant advocate recognized for their work with immigrants (08/05/26)
- Stuttgart Daily Leader: DACA backlog could affect Arkansas workforce, population (08/05/26)
- The Associated Press: AP Exclusive: Trump鈥檚 immigration crackdown has detained more than 50 military spouses and parents (08/05/26)
- The Economic Times: States may get power to sponsor worker visas in the US under new bipartisan bill (08/05/26)
- ABC News: ICE arrests hit record high in July as enforcement quietly ramps up (08/04/26)
- La Tribuna Hispana: Millions in losses and job shortages: the cost of ending TPS (08/04/26)
- Newsweek: New Visa Proposal Would Let States Bring in Migrant Workers (08/04/26)
- Kiowa County Press: Politics: 2026Talks – August 4, 2026 (08/04/26)
- Public News Service: DACA backlog could affect Arkansas workforce, population (08/04/26)
- Rio Grande Guardian: Villarreal: You cannot ask for our support while simultaneously attacking our families and targeting our workforce (08/03/26)
- Senator Mark Kelly鈥檚 Office: Kelly, Curtis Propose State-Sponsored Visa Pilot Program (08/03/26)
- The Philadelphia Inquirer: (08/01/26)
- Univision: (07/29/26)
- ValleyCentral.com: (07/29/26)
- Texas Border 91探花: (07/29/26)
- The Texas Tribune: (07/29/26)
- Cuba Headlines: (07/28/26)
- CBS News: (07/28/26)
- Noticias Telemundo: (07/28/26)
- News From The States: (07/28/26)
- Newsweek: (07/28/26)
- NPR – Here & Now: (07/27/26)
- McKnights Senior Living: (07/26/26)
- Public News Service: (07/22/26)
- The Daily Press: (07/21/26)
- The Washington Post: (07/19/26)
- Newsweek: (07/17/26)
- Greenfield Recorder: (07/16/26)
- The Florida Catholic: (07/15/26)
- Latin Times: (07/13/26)
- Financial Express: (07/13/26)
- Mwakilishi: (07/13/26)
- Newsweek: (07/09/26)
- America鈥檚 Voice: (07/07/26)
- DRG News: (07/04/26)
- Sun Sentinel: (07/03/26)
- LegalClarity: (07/01/26)