An all-star panel representing employers, bipartisan state lawmakers from battleground states, and Hispanic business leaders launched the 鈥淗ispanics Make America Great鈥� campaign at a press event Tuesday, led by Comit茅 de 100 and the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. The campaign emphasizes the economic contributions and electoral strength of Hispanics, while urging Congress and the Trump administration to provide work permits for long-term, law-abiding immigrant workers in essential industries such as agriculture, hospitality, construction and healthcare.
or follow Comit茅 de 100 and . A few quotes from the event:
鈥�Latinos are central to our nation’s future.
But this contribution must be met with common-sense policies like legal work permits and bipartisan legislation such as the Dignity Act, so hardworking immigrants can contribute without fear.鈥�
-Massey Villarreal, Co-Chair, Comit茅 de 100 & CEO, Precision Task Group, Texas
鈥� President Trump鈥e don鈥檛 want our vote to go somewhere else. We want to continue saying we did the right thing. We’re asking you to slow down the deportation of these essential workers, as you mentioned.鈥�
-Sam Sanchez, Co-Chair, Comit茅 de 100 & President, Third Coast Hospitality Group, Illinois
鈥�I urge Congress, I urge President Trump to focus on a solution now..the reality is Hispanics are going to control the vote, the swing vote in the state of Georgia, and it’s important for us to grow the Republican Party in our state.鈥�
-Georgia State Representative Kasey Carpenter (R-Dalton)
Launched during Hispanic Heritage Month, the campaign celebrates the political importance of Hispanic 91探花s, as they are expected to play a decisive role in the 2026 midterm elections:
The virtual press conference convened mayors, state legislators and business leaders from Texas, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Utah, Wisconsin and Arizona.
Be Part of the Coalition: From city halls to shop floors, business leaders and elected officials are urging Congress and President Trump to secure America鈥檚 workforce with legal work permits.
Take Action with ABIC
Secure America鈥檚 Workforce: Policy Summit & Legislative Visits
Workforce shortages in agriculture, construction, healthcare, and hospitality continue to intensify. Employers must be at the table to discuss solutions.
Oct. 21鈥�23 鈥� Be in Washington, D.C. for ABIC鈥檚 largest Fly-In yet. Speak directly with lawmakers, push for commonsense solutions, and stand with business leaders across industries. [Register here]
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The future of the DACA program and the futures of more than 500,000 Dreamers are still unknown, 13 years after DACA鈥檚 creation. Many Dreamers are now adults with careers, families, and businesses, yet they must renew their status every two years, never sure if they can stay.
Employers warn the economic implications are huge, since Dreamers contribute over $8 billion in taxes each year. In Texas alone, DACA-eligible residents contribute $2 billion in taxes and $6.2 billion in spending power.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 what is at stake here,鈥� said Juan Carlos Cerda, a DACA recipient who serves as Texas state director for the 91探花. 鈥淚t鈥檚 jobs, and it鈥檚 the economic contributions.鈥�
Immigration raids in Texas are devastating restaurants as customers stay home and staff are too afraid to work. Houston restaurateur Oscar Garcia Santaella says sales at his taco shop dropped 40% after ICE staged raids nearby.
鈥淭hey were there a week. And both that week and the next, we sold nothing,鈥� he said.
ABIC partner the Texas Restaurant Association said in the second quarter of this year, 23% of its members lost employees, and warned the labor shortage is pushing up food prices statewide. Spokeswoman Kelsey Erickson Streufert told AFP they鈥檝e joined with restaurant industry leaders around the country () to urge Trump to prioritize legal work permits for longtime trusted immigrants throughout the food pipeline in America.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not talking about amnesty鈥� just the ability to fill an open job, to pay taxes, to follow the law.鈥� -Kelsey Erickson Streufert, Texas Restaurant Association Spokesperson
News Briefing
The White House this week moved to on Sept. 4, as business leaders have expressed concerns that the raid to the U.S.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) and state Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Chris Clark on Tuesday.
鈥淲e鈥檝e had good conversations with companies that are unnamed that are looking to do business here,鈥� said Kemp. 鈥淭hey understand what is going on on the ground. They also understand the visa issue.鈥�
Clark went a step further, emphasizing the need for changes:
鈥淸W]e need to reform the visa program in America, whether it鈥檚 for farm workers, whether it鈥檚 for our workers that are coming here to help build a Korean plant or a Japanese plant or a German plant鈥e need a visa system that allows them to do their jobs. 鈥� – Chris Clark, President and CEO of Georgia鈥檚 Chamber of Commerce.
Politico:
Farmers in Tioga County, Pennsylvania, many of them Trump voters, are sounding the alarm over a worsening labor crisis as the agricultural workforce has dropped 7% since March, largely due to immigration crackdowns. Dairy farmers like Tim Wood and John Painter have sold off herds or struggled to keep operations running after losing migrant workers, calling the current system 鈥渟crewed up鈥� and unsustainable.
House Agriculture Chair G.T. Thompson (R-PA 15) told reporters he鈥檚 preparing urgent legislation to reform the H-2A visa program and give year-round operations like dairies access to legal workers.
He plans to introduce a solution based on proposed by the Agricultural Labor Working Group last year. While he welcomes the administration鈥檚 efforts to reform H-2A, Thompson sees them as temporary and no substitute for legislative action.
鈥淚t鈥檚 only going to last as long as this administration does, and that鈥檚 why we have to codify this鈥ecause what farmers need [is] certainty.鈥� -House Agriculture Chair G.T. Thompson
鈥淚t鈥檚 a shame you have hard-working people who need labor, and a group of people who are willing to work, and they have to look over their shoulder like they鈥檙e criminals,鈥� said Charlie Porter, the head of the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau鈥檚 Ag Labor and Safety Committee. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e not.鈥�
Trump argues that cutting illegal immigration frees up jobs for 91探花s, especially Black and Hispanic workers. But despite record-low border crossings, job growth has stalled, unemployment is at a four-year high, and Black unemployment has climbed to 7.5%.
鈥淸T]he unemployment rate has risen to its highest level in nearly four years. If, as Mr. Trump maintains, less migration is a boon for U.S. workers, where鈥檚 the payoff?…If the White House doesn鈥檛 do a better job of balancing border security and economic growth, things could get a lot worse before they improve.鈥�
History shows little connection between immigration levels and U.S. job prospects. Economists say immigrants also drive demand and job creation, suggesting the administration鈥檚 crackdown may be slowing the economy without helping U.S. workers access more jobs.
President Trump has backed away from some of his toughest immigration measures at times this year, when they risk harming U.S. economic priorities, frustrating some allies, the Times reports. He temporarily paused the deportations of South Korean workers arrested earlier this month in Georgia, considering letting them stay in the United States and help finish the factory, according to officials in Seoul. He also reversed some plans to revoke visas for Chinese students, warning that losing them would 鈥渟end our college system to hell.鈥�
In June, he also publicly recognized that his immigration agenda was taking a toll on certain industries, including agriculture. The president has 鈥渢ried to appease both immigration hard-liners and those who rely on immigrant workers.鈥�
鈥淭he president is a businessman,鈥� said Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II, a former acting deputy homeland security secretary under President Trump. 鈥淗e has a concern when people say, 鈥榊ou know, I won鈥檛 be able to do business.鈥欌��
Javier Palomarez, ABIC partner and President and CEO of the United States Hispanic 91探花 Council, wrote that immigrants keep America鈥檚 farms, construction sites, and restaurants running. But recent crackdowns are pulling workers out of these industries, driving up costs and closing small businesses. Nearly.
鈥淚mmigration crackdowns might sound like political talking points, but to small businesses they are an existential threat. The impact is immediate and disproportionate, and centered on Main Street, not Wall Street.鈥�
At a Georgetown roundtable, Catholic leaders warned that mass deportations are hitting immigrant communities like a 鈥渃ategory 4 storm,鈥� spreading fear and destabilizing parishes and schools.
鈥淭he immense majority of the migrants, even without legal status, are not law-breakers. They鈥檙e being broken by the law.鈥� – Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski
The roundtable urged compassionate, human-centered reform.
The recent immigration raid at a protein bar plant in Cato, NY, highlights a 鈥渟hameful鈥� example of Trump-era enforcement, the editorial board wrote. Despite claims of targeting violent criminals, no one detained was charged with any sort of violent crime. Workers were allegedly sorted by race, and the raid left the plant operating at just 25% capacity, despite a local unemployment rate near full employment.
鈥淸They] were working to support their families. They were people seeking a better life and working jobs others won鈥檛.鈥�
Get Involved
- Secure your spot today for ABIC鈥檚 Secure America鈥檚 Workforce 鈥� October Fly-In and Policy Summit in Washington, DC.
- 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
- We’re hiring! ABIC is looking for a National Field Director to help lead our national campaigns. Learn more and apply here.
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- El Restaurante: (7/9/25)听
- El Restaurante: (7/9/25)听
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