Immigration reform

On April 28, Small Business Majority led a coalition of nearly 100 local, state and national organizations in a letter to Small Business Committee Ranking Members Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) and Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-NY) to endorse the Investing in the American Dream Act. The legislation seeks to overturn SBA guidance issued in February that restricts loan access for businesses without 100% U.S. citizenship ownership. Instead, it would codify previous standards allowing businesses to qualify for 7(a), 504, Microloan, and Surety Bond programs if they are based in the U.S.

On March 31, Small Business Majority submitted a comment letter opposing a proposed rule issued by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Services (USCIS) that would indefinitely bar asylum applicants in the U.S. from applying for authorization to work legally during their application process. The letter underscores how imposing new restrictions on the work authorization process for millions of individuals would intensify the small business labor shortage by blocking access to specialized labor talent pools for Main Street. 

On March 12, Small Business Majority, alongside more than 100 state and national organizations serving small businesses nationwide, sent a letter to the Small Business Administration (SBA) opposing the agency’s February 2 policy notice that bars small businesses not 100% owned by U.S. citizens or nationals from accessing SBA-backed loan programs.

Small Business Majority Founder & CEO John Arensmeyer sent a letter to President Trump outlining the state of small businesses ahead of the State of the Union address. The letter examines the stark reality facing Main Street: the dual pressures of skyrocketing healthcare costs and the direct consequences of sweeping tariffs and escalating immigration enforcement have made it increasingly difficult for small businesses to sustain and grow their operations. To provide immediate relief to Main Street, Mr. Arensmeyer urged the administration to adopt small business-friendly policies, which include ending sweeping tariffs, renewing expired healthcare premium tax credits that lower costs for marketplace participants, and halting disruptive immigration enforcement tactics that exacerbate workforce shortages.

On January 28, Small Business Majority sent a letter to U.S. Senate leadership urging lawmakers to prioritize efforts to avert a partial shutdown impacting key small business programs ahead of the January 30th deadline while also taking the necessary time to address the immigration enforcement crisis that is hurting small businesses, our economy and our nation as a whole.

Immigrant entrepreneurs are essential to small business growth, and small business owners strongly support immigration reform that works. Research shows overwhelming support for modernizing the legal immigration system, creating pathways to legal status, and rejecting mass deportation policies that would harm businesses and the economy. This fact sheet is compiled from U.S. Census data and Small Business Majority’s 2025 Voice of Main Street research.