A subject once considered too sensitive for public discussion is about to become part of the business agenda in Greater Cleveland. Breaking a long silence on a contentious topic, local business leaders are preparing to come out forcefully in favor of immigration reform.
Representatives of several major employers intend to endorse a Midwest-focused reform plan that upholds immigrants as economic catalysts. The plan, hammered out by a multi-state task force, calls for more visas for high-skill immigrants and a path to citizenship for immigrants living and working here illegally.
The plan is scheduled to be presented to the Cleveland business community April 2 at a public forum at the downtown offices of the Greater Cleveland Partnership, a 15,000-member regional chamber of commerce.
Some executives are not waiting to lend their endorsement.
"We've got to begin to solve this," said Edward Crawford, the chairman of Park-Ohio, a Mayfield Heights-based holding company that specializes in manufacturing and employs nearly 5,000 people. "This is not a political issue. It's an issue for all of us. Number one, we're a nation of immigrants."
Crawford and other business leaders say immigrants, including the undocumented, bring skills and vitality to the region and make it more likely that developers and employers will invest here.
The leaders say changes are needed to make it easier for legal immigrants to come and for illegal immigrants to reach their full potential.
Albert Ratner, the co-chairman emeritus of Forest City Enterprises, said he worries the demographic trend is growing desperate for the region and the state.
"We're the third or fourth worst-performing state in population," Ratner said. "We are getting older and grayer. And as a consequence, we are paying a tremendous economic price for not being welcoming to immigrants.
"It's not a humanitarian issue," Ratner said. "Do we want to grow? Do we want an economic future?"
He'll join a panel at the forum, prepared to argue the business case for a pro-immigrant agenda. Kindred spirits will include Dr. Giovanni Piedimonte, a Cleveland Clinic specialist from Italy; and Jose Feliciano, a partner at the Cleveland law firm of Baker Hostetler.
"Immigration is an economic engine that helps people at the top, the bottom and the middle," Feliciano said. "We've got to get behind this."
Feliciano, the son of Puerto Rican migrants, has been a catalyst behind local efforts to join the national debate. He joined Frank Douglas, president of Akron's Austen BioInnovation Institute, on the Independent Task Force on Immigration and U.S. Economic Competitiveness.
The bipartisan task force was convened in late 2011 by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Led by former Iowa governor Chet Culver, former Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and business leaders like Crate and Barrel co-founder Carole Segal, it studied immigration from a Midwest perspective.
Last month, the 53-member task force released a report concluding that access to immigrant talent is essential to economic recovery in struggling Midwest communities. The study noted that immigrants are over-represented among entrepreneurs, scientists and other job creators, and that a dearth of immigrants often coincides with a weak local economy.
The study notes, for example, that only 5 percent of Greater Cleveland is foreign-born, compared to a much higher immigrant ratio in the robust economy of Chicago.
Because of its large agricultural sector, the Midwest has a critical need for a reliable flow of foreign seasonal workers, who often must work illegally because employers find the immigration system expensive and complex, the study contends.
In Washington, a bipartisan group of senators is debating similar issues as it nears agreement on a plan to overhaul the nation's immigration system. The so-called Gang of Eight is expected to release its proposed legislation next month. President Obama has warned he will present his own plan if Congress does not act.
In recent weeks, the GCP has been moving assertively to keep pace with the national discussion. Last month, it adopted a public policy agenda that includes an immigration plank, one that emphasizes the importance of being able to attract international talent and investment to the region.
In particular, the partnership would like to see a greater number of work visas available for immigrants with special skills, said GCP president Joe Roman.
"The issue is a timely one," Roman said. "We want to make sure we're as smart as we can be. We thought the forum was a good way to facilitate discussion."
Co-sponsored by Global Cleveland and the Hispanic Roundtable, the forum begins at 8 a.m. April 2 at the offices of the GCP, 1240 Huron Road, Cleveland.
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