CEOs Back BRIDGE ACT
Click here: http://bit.ly/2idMFGt
January 12, 2017
Dear President-Elect Donald Trump, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Speaker Paul Ryan, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi:
WE, the undersigned, urge you to support the BRIDGE (Bar Removal of Individuals who Dream and Grow our Economy) Act, introduced by Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), and Congressmen Mike Coffman (R-CO) and Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), which provides a clean, legislative solution for 750,000 Dreamers who earned work permits and temporary relief from deportation under DACA - Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.
The bipartisan legislation provides a clean pathway for roughly 750,000 young people who have DACA to keep living, working and paying taxes in the United States.
If passed, teachers, nurses, engineers and entrepreneurs will continue to work, create jobs, pay taxes, buy homes, and contribute to our economy and country.
DACA has allowed Dreamers to work in every industry and at nearly every single major company in America. Six percent of DACA recipients have also launched businesses that employ native-born American citizens. Almost 55 percent of DACA recipients have purchased a vehicle, and more than one in ten — or 12 percent — have purchased their first home.
Without Congressional action, it’s likely that these young people, who have known no other home, would be deported to a country that is unfamiliar to them. Removing 750,000 people from the workforce in a single day would cost $433.4 billion in GDP loss over a decade.
Recipients are heavily vetted – to qualify for BRIDGE, like DACA, young immigrants must pass a rigorous background check and screening. In addition to growing our tax base, they strengthen our national security. BRIDGE is economically important, morally right, politically smart and will strengthen our national security.
We hope members in both parties and President Elect Trump will support this critical legislation. DACA-recipients are proof that when undocumented immigrants are brought out of the shadows and legally enter the workforce, they contribute even more to our nation by paying taxes, purchasing homes and strengthening public safety and national security.
We commit to working with you to modernize our immigration system that secures the nation, upholds our constitution, protects immigrant workers, and creates an economy that works for all Americans.
Sincerely Yours,
John Rowe
Co-Chair, Illinois Business Immigration Coalition
Chairman Emeritus, Exelon Corporation
Chicago, Illinois
Samuel C. Scott III,
Co-Chair, Illinois Business Immigration Coalition
Former Chief Executive Officer, Ingredion Incorporated
Chairman, Chicago Sister Cities International Program
Chicago, Illinois
Michael "Mike" B. Fernandez
Chairman, MBF Healthcare Partners
Coral Gables, Florida
Laurans A. Mendelson
CEO, HEICO
Hollywood, Florida
Carole Browe Segal
Co-Chair, Illinois Business Immigration Coalition
Co-founder, Crate and Barrel
Chicago, Illinois
Jorge Benitez
CEO, Accenture North America, Retired
Miami, Illinois
Glenn Tilton
Retired Chairman and CEO, United Airlines
Chicago, Illinois
Barbara Grogan
Founder and former CEO, Western Industrial Contractors
Trustee, Metropolitan State University of Denver Board of Trustees
Denver, Colorado
Dan Ritchie
Chairman, Denver Center for the Performing Arts
Chairman Emeritus, University of Denver
Denver, Colorado
Kelly Brough
CEO, Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce
Denver, Colorado
Mark Cordova
CEO, Centenial Bolt Denver
CEO, Cordova Bolt LA
Denver, Colorado
Michael Kaplan
President & CEO, Aspen Skiing Company
Aspen, Colorado
Bill Kunkler
Co-Chair, Illinois Business Immigration Coalition
Executive Vice President, CC Industries
Chicago, Illinois
Susan Crown
Chairman & Founder of Susan Crown Exchange Inc.
Chicago, Illinois
Joe Arriola
Chairman, Jackson Health Trust
Miami, Florida
Alan Potamkin
Co-Chairman, The Potamkin Companies
Miami, Florida
Ron Gidwitz
CEO, GCG Partners
Chicago, Illinois
Craig Duchossois
CEO, The Duchossois Group
Elmhurst, Illinois
Dr. Bryan Traubert
Chairman,The Pritzker Traubert Family Foundation (PTFF)
Chicago, Illinois
Florentino Herran
CEO, Sedanos Supermarkets
Miami, Florida
Dr. Eduardo Padron
President, Miami Dade College
Miami, Florida
Dr. Julio Frank
President, University of Miami
Miami, Florida
Sergio Pino
CEO, Century Homebuilders Group
Miami, Florida
Vance Aloupis
CEO, The Children’s Movement of Florida
Miami, Florida
Mario Murgado
CEO, Brickell Motors
Miami, Florida
David Lawrence
CEO, The Early Childhood Initiative Foundation
Miami, Florida
Carlos Saladrigas
Chairman, The Regis Group Inc.
Miami, Florida
Mark Rosenberg
President, Florida International University
Miami, Florida
Dave Bender
Co-Chair, Illinois Business Immigration Coalition
Executive Director, American Council of Engineering Companies of Illinois
Lincoln, Illinois
Todd Maisch
Co-Chair, Illinois Business Immigration Coalition
President & CEO, Illinois Chamber of Commerce
Springfield, Illinois
Raul Raymundo
Co-Chair, Illinois Business Immigration Coalition
CEO, The Resurrection Project
Chicago, Illinois
Joshua Hoyt
Co-Chair, Illinois Business Immigration Coalition
Executive Director, National Partnership for New Americans
Chicago, Illinois
John L. Anderson
Former President, Illinois Institute of Technology
Chicago, Illinois
John Atkinson
Managing Partner, Willis Towers Watson
Chicago, Illinois
Doug Baker
President, Northern Illinois University
DeKalb, Illinois
Norman R. Bobins
Norman Bobins Consulting LLC
Chicago, Illinois
John Bucksbaum
CEO, Bucksbaum Retail Properties, LLC
Chicago, Illinois
Donna M. Carroll
President, Dominican University
River Forest, Illinois
Martin R. Castro
President, Castro Synergies, LLC
River Forest, Illinois
Alan Channing
President & CEO, Sinai Health System
Chicago, Illinois
Dan Costello
CEO, Home Run Inn Restaurant Group
Chicago, Illinois
Alan W. Cramb
President, Illinois Institute of Technology
Chicago, Illinois
Tom Cross
Former Republican Minority Leader of the Illinois House of Representatives
Aurora, Illinois
Father Brendan Curran
Catholic Businesses for Immigration Reform
Chicago, Illinois
Omar Duque
President & CEO, Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Chicago, Illinois
Robert Easter
President, University of Illinois
Urbana, Illinois
Hon. Jim Edgar
Former Governor, State of Illinois
Springfield, Illinois
Ezequiel Flores
CEO, Flying Food Retail LLC
Chicago, Illinois
Juan Gaytan
CEO, Monterrey Security
Chicago, Illinois
Christopher Gladwin
CEO & Founder, Cleversafe
Chicago, Illinois
Marc J. Gordon
President & CEO, Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association
Chicago, Illinois
Mark Harris
President & CEO, Illinois Science & Technology Coalition
Chicago, Illinois
Ed Hoch
President of the Illinois Technology Association
Chicago, Illinois
Rev. Dennis H. Holtschneider
President, DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois
Terry Howerton,
Founder, TechNexus
Chicago, Illinois
Maria Christopoulos Katris
CEO, Built In
Chicago, Illinois
Christopher G. Kennedy
Chairman, Joseph P. Kennedy Enterprises, Inc.
Chicago, Illinois
Timothy L. Killeen
President, University of Illinois
Urbana, Illinois
Senator Billy Lawless
Owner, The Gage and Henri
Chicago, Illinois
Ken Lehman
Managing Partner, KKP Group, LLC
Evanston, Illinois
Patrick M. Magoon
President & CEO, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
Barry MacLean
President & CEO of MacLean-Fogg Company
Mundelein, Illinois
Anna Morzy
President, Polish American Chamber of Commerce
Chicago, Illinois
Clare Muñana
President, Ancora Associates, Inc.
Chicago, Illinois
Juan Ochoa
President, Miramar Group
Riverside, Illinois
Maureen Pikarski
Partner, Gordon & Pikarski
Chicago, Illinois
Jose Luis Prado
CEO, Evans Food
Chicago, Illinois
Rich Guebert, Jr.
President, Illinois Farm Bureau
Bloomington, Illinois
Ken Raskin
Chairman of the Illinois Restaurant Association and owner of Manny's Deli
Chicago, Illinois
Ellen Rudnick
Senior Advisor on Entrepreneurship & Adjunct Professor, The University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
Jesse Ruiz
Partner, Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP
Chicago, Illinois
Michael Sacks
Chairman & CEO, Grosvenor Capital Management
Chicago, Illinois
Jos Saldana
President & CEO, Biba Global
Chicago, Illinois
Sam Sanchez
CEO of SamCo Partners
Chicago, Illinois
Byron Spruell
Vice Chairman and Chicago Managing Principal for Deloitte LLP
Chicago, Illinois
Scott C. Swanson
Regional President, PNC Bank
Chicago, Illinois
Karen Teitelbaum
President & CEO, Sinai Health
Chicago, Illinois
Sam Toia
President, Illinois Restaurant Association
Chicago, Illinois
William Von Hoene
Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, Exelon Corporation
Chicago, Illinois
Edward J. Wehmer
President & CEO of Wintrust Financial Corporation
Rosemont, Illinois
Maryjane A. Wurth
President & CEO, Illinois Hospital Association
Naperville, Illinois
Jaime di Paulo
Executive Director, Little Village Chamber of Commerce
Chicago, Illinois
Hedy Ratner
Co-Founder, Women’s Business Development Center
Chicago, Illinois
Cyril Regan President
Chicago Irish Immigrant Support
Chicago, Illinois
Frederick Waddell
President & CEO, Northern Trust Corporation
Chicago, Illinois
Sergio Suarez
President, North American Institute for Mexican Advancement
Melrose Park, Illinois
A.J. Wilhelmi
President & CEO, Illinois Health and Hospital Association
Naperville, Illinois
Doug L. Whitley
Former President & CEO, Illinois Chamber of Commerce
Chicago, Illinois
