Business leaders seek federal fixes to immigration issues

In this June 2018 file photo, protesters walk along Montana Avenue outside the El Paso Processing Center in El Paso, Texas. Nearly 50 Democratic lawmakers called for a watchdog investigation of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2019, after the agency confirmed it had been force-feeding immigrant detainees on a hunger strike. On Thursday, all force-feeding at the detention center near the El Paso airport abruptly stopped after a U.S. district judge said the government had to stop involuntarily feeding two of the detained immigrants. (Rudy Gutierrez/The El Paso Times via AP) In this June 2018 file photo, protesters walk along Montana Avenue outside the El Paso Processing Center in El Paso, Texas. Nearly 50 Democratic lawmakers called for a watchdog investigation of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2019, after the agency confirmed it had been force-feeding immigrant detainees on a hunger strike. On Thursday, all force-feeding at the detention center near the El Paso airport abruptly stopped after a U.S. district judge said the government had to stop involuntarily feeding two of the detained immigrants. (Rudy Gutierrez/The El Paso Times via AP)

By Associated Press February 26, 2019 1 min read

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A group of 40 Iowa business leaders say they will work together to resolve federal immigration problems they say hurt worker recruitment efforts.

The Iowa Compact on Immigration includes several chambers of commerce and development group leaders, including those from Ames, Burlington, Des Moines, Dubuque, Iowa City and Muscatine.

Greater Des Moines Partnership CEO Jay Byers on Monday noted immigration is a federal issue and argued states shouldn’t offer their own piecemeal solutions.

Iowa lawmakers are considering several proposals, including requiring that businesses use the federal E-Verify system to identify workers eligible for U.S. jobs. It’s often criticized as inaccurate.

One of the group’s priorities is to create a system that accurately and reliably determines who is permitted to work.