At the recent U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) annual meeting, mayors from across the country passed a resolution in support of immigration reform, including these key factors:

• “The U.S. Conference of Mayors has historically recognized the economic contribution that immigrants have made to their communities by creating new jobs, developing innovative products and ideas, and complementing the skills of the U.S.-born workforce....”
   
• “[S]tudies have shown that immigrants are nearly 30 percent more likely to start a business than non-immigrants and the latest estimates by the Small Business Administration indicate that immigrant business owners generate $67 billion in U.S. business income….”
   
• “[I]n order to stay globally competitive, the U.S. will need to retain the best and brightest university talent, including foreign born students….”
   
• “[I]mmigrants currently represent 24 percent of U.S. scientists and 47 percent of U.S. engineers with bachelor or doctorate degrees….”

USCM President and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said of the resolution, “Together, we resolved that one of the best ways to achieve our collective goals of strengthening the economy, ensuring our global competitiveness, and securing our homeland, is through comprehensive immigration reform. … Immigrants have spurred innovation, made major financial contributions to our nation, and bravely served our country in the armed forces. Yet our current, broken system turns a blind eye to their countless contributions.”

Let’s Make Sure Highly Educated Foreign-born Professionals Can Keep Creating Jobs and Driving Economic Growth in Communities Across the Country!

Congress, Reform the Employment-based Immigration System This Year!

Learn more about the benefits of highly educated, foreign-born professionals to the U.S. economy.

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Compete America (www.competeamerica.org) is a coalition of corporations, educators, research institutions and trade associations concerned about legal, employment-based immigration and committed to ensuring that the United States has the highly educated workforce necessary to ensure continued innovation, job creation and leadership in a worldwide economy.