Gov. Hickenlooper: Time Is Now To Resolve Immigration Conflicts
DENVER (CBS4) - CBS4's Jim Benemann talked with Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper on Monday about President Donald Trump's new travel ban.
Hickenlooper said he's against it, but says Trump's actions have drawn the spotlight to a critical issue. Hickenlooper says this is the time to -- in his words -- "resolve all the conflicts around immigration."
"Let's make compromises. Let's figure out where we can give a little; everyone gives a little, and solve the problem so we don't have millions of people; many of the little kids living in the shadows," Hickenlooper said. "They can't hold a job out in the open. Right now we need more and more workers. Some of them are even working right now, they're working here illegally. If they all left, I don't know what would happen … let's get the system fixed."
The governor also talked about the impact of travel restrictions on Colorado universities.
"Foreign students … big part of our economy. We talk about how many thousands of foreign students that are here and how much money they put into this economy; that's a serious consideration," Hickenlooper said.
Hickenlooper says Colorado's humming economy is currently running at virtually full employment and a steady stream foreign workers are needed to keep that going.