Business leaders call for immigration reform this year

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP):

More than a dozen Oklahoma business leaders are joining hundreds more nationwide, urging Congress to pass an overhaul of the country's laws on immigration.

The 15 Oklahomans are among 636 business owners and leaders who signed a joint letter on Wednesday to US House Speaker John Boehner, calling for immigration reform. The letter was released by the US Chamber of Commerce.

ACT THIS YEAR

The letter urges Congress to act this year on immigration reform standards released by the House Republican Conference last month.

The Oklahoma Home Builders Association's Executive Vice-president Mike Means is among those who signed the letter. Means says the nation's current immigration policies represent "a system that is obviously broken."

Other Oklahomans who signed it are former Oklahoma City Mayor Kirk Humphreys and former House Speaker Kris Steele.