- A bipartisan coalition urged Trump and Congress to provide work permits for long-term immigrants who have lived and worked in the United States.
- A poll of Latino voters in seven states found 75 percent favor legal work authorization for long-term undocumented immigrants who have worked and paid taxes.
- Allied business and food groups are pressing Congress to act by November, citing labor shortages and rising costs.
A bipartisan Hispanic business and civic coalition urged President Donald Trump and congressional leaders on September 29, 2026, to grant legal protections and work permits to long-term undocumented immigrants. The campaign calls for people who have lived and worked in the United States for years to be able to work legally.
The coalition, Comité de 100, joined forces with UnidosUS and American Business Immigration Coalition Action. Organizers described a wide base of support: one campaign account cited more than 250 business, faith, civil rights, community and elected leaders, while the Hispanic civil rights organization said it had joined more than 200 leaders.
The coalition announced its appeal during a virtual press conference. It framed the request around immigrants who have worked, paid taxes and contributed to their communities over many years.
The letter put the demand in explicitly bipartisan terms. “We cannot wait,” it said.
The coalition ties its demand to years of work and taxes
In its letter, the group urged Republicans and Democrats in Washington to agree on protections allowing long-term undocumented immigrants to live and work legally. It described the target population as people who have supported families, workplaces and communities over decades.
“We are all united in demanding that both Republicans and Democrats in Washington deliver solutions that allow long-term undocumented immigrants, many of whom have worked, paid taxes, and contributed to our communities, families and workplaces for decades, long-term solutions that allow them to live and work legally without fear.”
The campaign also pointed to voter attitudes ahead of the 2026 midterms. A poll conducted by BSP Research and Shaw & Co. for the American Business Immigration Coalition and American Families United surveyed 1,353 registered Latino voters in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas.
Sixty-three percent said the treatment of immigrants ranked among their top issues in 2026. Seventy-five percent said they would be more likely to support a candidate who backs legal work authorization for long-term undocumented immigrants who have worked and paid taxes in the United States.
A separate summary of Latino voting found 59% support for a path to legal status for undocumented immigrants with U.S. citizen family members. It also reported that 64% of Latino Republicans, 68% of independents and 85% of Democrats said they would vote for candidates who put legal status and work authorization ahead of mass deportations.
The effort seeks legal authorization, not a citizenship bill
The letter’s signatories included leaders from LULAC, the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference and the Rio Grande Valley Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Business and faith groups have also argued for legal status and work authorization after background checks.
Juan Carlos Cerda, Texas state director for the American Business Immigration Coalition, described the current advocacy as focused on “a work permit for longtime workers who can pass a background check.” He said citizenship is largely off the table.
That narrower aim sits within a broader collection of immigration proposals. The coalition’s public message calls for protections for long-term residents, while allied groups have highlighted legislative options already pending in Congress.
The political case rests in part on the poll’s battleground-state findings. Its results covered seven states, and the figures suggest many surveyed Latino voters connect immigration policy to their candidate choices.
Bills already before Congress offer routes for a broader deal
A separate business and food-sector alliance, Seat the Table, pressed Congress in September 2026 to provide legal work authorization for long-term immigrants. The coalition is led by the American Business Immigration Coalition, the Texas Restaurant Association and the James Beard Foundation.
Its legislative menu includes the Dream Act of 2025, the SECURE Act and the State-Sponsored Visa Pilot Program Act of 2026. The list also includes the Fairness for Immigrant Families Act, the Dignity Act of 2025, the American Dream and Promise Act, and the Farm Workforce Modernization Act.
Those measures are not all described as part of the September 29 letter. They show how allied advocates are directing lawmakers toward bills already in Congress rather than presenting a single proposal as the only option.
The separate effort also emphasizes economic concerns. Its supporters argue that legal work authorization could steady labor supply and ease pressure on food prices, farms, restaurants and hospitality businesses.
Restaurant and food groups are pressing Congress on labor needs
Seat the Table’s outreach included a Washington push on September 15, 2026, followed by more congressional contact on September 18. At an event, lawmakers and coalition members called for action by November.
Rebecca Shi, CEO of the American Business Immigration Coalition, said Seat the Table had grown to “more than 100 members from all 50 states.” In a related account, she described more than 100 organizations from across the country joining as lead signatories and said the food pipeline faced an urgent challenge.
Cerda said the advocacy group had taken more than 150 employers to Washington to meet with more than 300 lawmakers and administration officials. The meetings connected the immigration debate to employers’ difficulty filling jobs.
Kelsey Erickson Streufert, chief public affairs officer of the Texas Restaurant Association, pointed to costs and staffing pressures facing the industry.
“Restaurants and their suppliers are working harder than ever to manage rising costs, address workforce shortages and keep menu prices within reach for their customers.”
The industry campaign has made the same request for legal work authorization part of a wider debate over food affordability and hiring. Its organizers set November as the point by which they want Congress to act.
