Illinois leaders urge Biden to expand migrant work permits to ease labor shortage

CHICAGO (CBS) -- State and local leaders are looking to address the labor shortage and getting migrants jobs.

Gov. JB Pritzker, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin along with members of Congress from Illinois met to urge President Joe Biden to expand work permits for migrants.

"The best way for us to manage through this lengthy crisis is to tap into the extraordinary value that immigrants bring to our workforce," Pritzker said. "We have the jobs. We have the people. We just need authorization from Washington."

They say it would not require an act of Congress.

Migrants cannot apply for work permits until five months after they've applied for asylum in the U.S., a process that can also end up taking months.

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• Dick Durbin
• JB Pritzker
• Migrants