Flickr photo by Omar BárcenaA Mexican law-enforcement officer inspects a rollable ladder hanging on the border fence.
Prominent CEOs of two of the most prominent corporations in California – and the world – have joined what could turn out to be one of the more significant efforts to get comprehensive immigration reform approved at a federal level.
Mark Hurd, chairman and CEO of Hewlett-Packard Co., and Robert Iger, president and CEO of The Walt Disney Co., have signed up as founding members and co-chairs of an initiative spearheaded by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg called Partnership for a New American Economy.
The initiative is intended to push Congress to approve comprehensive immigration reform, including providing a clear path to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants currently in the United States.
Hurd and Iger’s stance provides a stark contrast to the positions taken by two former California CEOs now running for public office. Former eBay executive Meg Whitman and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina – succeeded by Hurd at HP – have taken tough stands on immigration, including saying over and over again that they were against “amnesty” for illegal immigrants. "Amnesty" has in effect become the code word for conservatives rejecting a range of proposals that result in legalization of illegal immigrants.
Also joining the Bloomberg coalition is Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. But there is nothing remarkable about that.
Far more unusual is the sight of CEOs of major corporations joining the so-far stalled drive for comprehensive immigration reform in Washington.
In the past, it has been mostly business groups whose work force includes undocumented immigrants – hotel and restaurant owners, meat packing plants, growers and so on – that have been out front in pushing for "comprehensive immigration reform" in coalitions like the Essential Worker Immigration Coalition. In fact, the U.S Chamber of Commerce founded this now-disbanded coalition.
But, in general, large corporations have not used their clout to put serious pressure on their allies on Capitol Hill, especially on the still-explosive issue of legalization (read "amnesty") for illegal immigrants.
What will determine the success of Bloomberg's initiative is the extent to which it widens beyond Iger, Hurd and the handful of CEOs that has signed up so far. If corporate America were to mount a unified appeal to its Republican allies – who have emerged as their major defenders on Capitol Hill – that could provide the momentum that is needed to push the debate forward.
The decision by Hurd and Iger to join the Bloomberg initiative raises some intriguing questions.
If Whitman and Fiorina were still CEOs of their companies, would they hold different positions on immigration reform? To what extent are their hardline views being driven by their candidacies for political office – in turn underwritten by money earned while CEOs?
More importantly for California, if elected to statewide office in November, to what extent would their current views on immigration put them at odds with the substantial corporate interests in the state – now joined by Disney and HP – which are pushing for some form of legalization?
With the way things are going, don't be surprised to see Mark Hurd lobbying Fiorina to back a path to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants in California – something she currently refuses to consider.
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