Greater Mankato Growth has joined hundreds of chambers of commerce, trade associations, and business organizations from across the country in urging Congress to advance meaningful immigration reform that strengthens America’s workforce and economy. GMG is among the Minnesota organizations that signed a national coalition letter to the 119th Congress calling for a modern, secure, and employment-based immigration system that meets the needs of today’s employers.
Greater Mankato Growth joined hundreds of chambers of commerce, trade associations, and business organizations from across the country in calling on Congress to enact meaningful immigration reform. As the voice of business for the Greater Mankato region, GMG advocates for policies that strengthen our economy and help employers succeed. A modern, secure, and employment-based immigration system is essential to addressing workforce shortages, supporting business growth, enhancing U.S. competitiveness, and creating opportunities for communities like ours. Immigration reform is not only a workforce issue, it is an economic development issue, and one that is critical to the long-term success of businesses across Greater Mankato and the nation.
The coalition letter highlights the growing workforce challenges facing employers nationwide and urges Congress to build on border security efforts by creating practical, bipartisan solutions that expand employment-based visa opportunities, retain experienced workers who are already contributing to the U.S. economy, and modernize employment verification systems for businesses. The letter notes that demographic trends and a shrinking labor force make immigration reform increasingly important to sustaining economic growth and meeting workforce demands across industries.
Greater Mankato Growth believes strong communities depend on strong businesses. As employers throughout south-central Minnesota continue to face workforce shortages, policies that support talent attraction and retention remain essential to the long-term success of our region. By joining this coalition, GMG is reinforcing its commitment to advocating for business-friendly policies that help local employers grow, compete, and create opportunities for current and future generations.
Read the full coalition letter: Attached below.
July 9, 2026
To the Members of the United States Congress:
We, the undersigned associations of American job creators across all business sectors, urge the 119th Congress of the United States to enact sensible immigration reform, as soon as possible, to meet the needs of today’s economy.
President Trump’s commitment of unmatched resources and attention to securing the border has laid the foundation for the critical next step : securing our economy by growing our workforce.
America is facing a workforce demographic reality that demands attention. According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), U.S. population growth has slowed to an average of just 0.2% per year. That is less than one -fifth the rate our country sustained from 1975 to 2024. By 2031, annual deaths in the U.S. will exceed annual births for the first time in America’s history. The U.S. population will be 4.5 million people smaller by 2035 and 5.4 million smaller by 2055 than previously projected.
With millions of open jobs across nearly every sector and a shrinking pipeline of workers to fill them, the American economy needs a modernized immigration system that can meet workforce needs and sustain growth. Every year of inaction compounds the problem.
For these reasons, we, the members of the American Alliance for Workforce and Border Security, ask Congress to pass legislation that will:
• Sustain border security. We know that without national security, there can be no economic security. The security achieved by President Trump, beginning in 2025 is the platform upon which to build .
• Build a visa system that works across sectors. Amend the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to provide employment-based visas for all critical industries, including those that currently lack adequate legal pathways. Such a program must allow U.S. employers to address persistent workforce shortages while ensuring qualified American workers are not displaced.
• Create a practical process to retain workers who have been contributing to the U.S. economy. The system should recognize the value of workers whose skills and experience have been essential to American businesses for many years, especially workers who have previously been authorized to work in the United States.
• Equip employers with modern, reliable tools to verify work eligibility. For example, revamping the current employment eligibility verification system (Form I-9 and E-Verify) to provide real time and accurate responses to employers. Businesses that make good-faith efforts to follow the law deserve compliance certainty—not penalties.
America cannot grow its economy with a shrinking workforce. Through sensible, bipartisan immigration reform, we can advance practical solutions that strengthen America’s workforce, bolster our economy, and ensure long-term stability. We urge Congress to act now to deliver the reforms America’s workforce and economy urgently need.