Commerce’s call to action
Thomas J. Donahue, president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, called for a new push for immigration reform as part of a larger business-oriented economic agenda in remarks at MIT yesterday. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce favors changes in immigration policy in order to, among other things, help highly trained workers with technical skills join the U.S. workforce more easily. However, as Donahue noted, immigration policy is the subject of charged debate, which means reform may not come easily. “Immigration is a highly emotional issue,” Donahue observed, while making the case that America has been strengthened by welcoming immigrants. Indeed, he added, immigrants are integral to the fabric of the country.“Everybody here is an immigrant,” Donahue said in his talk, titled “An American Jobs and Growth Agenda to Revitalize Our Economy,” held in MIT’s Building 51 on Thursday afternoon. In addition to a new immigration bill, Donahue listed...