21 Immigration Reform Power Players
Some of the people leading on reform aren't politicians.
Feb. 22, 2013— -- intro: When it comes to immigration reform, politicians are usually the ones grabbing headlines. But there are many players behind the scenes who are working to get reform done, from the faith community, to business and labor. Add a host of activists, political insiders, and celebrities to that list as well.
Here are 21 immigration reform power players. Go ahead and add your own in the comments or tweet to @UnivisionNews.
quicklist: 1title: Steve Case, co-founder of America Online (AOL), @SteveCase
text: There's a somewhat surprising group leading the lobby for immigration reform -- the tech sector. Case is one of the most prominent advocates for reform, calling for an expansion of visas in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). He testified in favor of those issues before a Senate committee last week, adding that he also endorses a path to citizenship for the country's 11 million undocumented.
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quicklist: 2title: Janet Murguía, president and CEO of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), @JMurguia_NCLR
text: How important is NCLR in the immigration reform debate? The organization, which advocates on behalf of Hispanics in the U.S., represents a network over nearly 300 community-based groups across the country and has been a political force in Washington since it was founded in 1968. As the head of the group, Murguía's approval will be a litmus test for both parties as they work on reform legislation.
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quicklist: 3title: Thomas J. Donohue, president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commercetext: The Senate group working on an immigration reform bill wants business interests and unions to get on the same page about how to handle future flows of immigration. That put Donohue, the head of the country's most financially-powerful lobbying institution, in negotiations with leaders of organized labor.
Business and labor agreed to a set of principles on Thursday, a big step toward compromise on a reform bill, and Donohue issued a joint statement with AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka: "The fact that business and labor can come together to negotiate in good faith over contentious issues should be a signal to Congress and the American people that support for immigration reform is widespread and growing, and is important to our economy and our society."
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quicklist: 4title: Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO, @RichardTrumka
text: As we mentioned, unions are sitting down with business, trying to reach a common ground that has eluded them during past reform efforts. Trumka is at the front of those negotiations.
The agreement with the Chamber of Commerce proposes the creation of a new worker visa and a federal bureau to make determinations about U.S. workforce needs, which can then be used in relation to immigration. By reaching a compromise with Donohue, Trumka eases the pathway for that part of an immigration bill, if the Senate chooses to adopt it.
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quicklist: 5title: Maria Cardona, Democratic strategist, @MariaTCardona
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