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PHOENIX A new statewide coalition that advocatesfor the importance of immigrants, immigration and immigration reform for Arizona launched on Thursday.

Andrew Moriarty with Fwd.us, anational organization created by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, said the coalition represents a broad and diverse group of voices.

Whether its agriculture, traditional business, high-tech business, students and teacherseveryone understands that the immigration system is broken, he said.

The national coalition is on the ground in 11 states and is made up of local groups like the Arizona Farm Bureau, Arizona Technology Council and Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce.

Moriarty said groups like these are highlighting the importance of immigrants, immigration, and immigration reform because those issues affect them directly.

Immigration has long been our nations greatest competitive advantage, he said. Thats true if were talking about high-skilled that has allowed us to build some of the most incredible companies that the world has ever seen.

Half of the billion-dollar value companies in Silicon Valley were founded by immigrants. But its also true, Moriarty continued, if were talking about the 80 percent of agricultural workers here in Arizona who are immigrants.

And thats true of the 750,000 Dreamers young undocumented people who came here at a young age, he said. Who have no way, as of right now, to come forward, get right with the law and pursue their dreams in this country.

Voters, and business, community and political leaders all agree itll take three things to fix this, he said.

Making sure that we have secure boarders, making sure that our immigration system makes sense for the 21stCentury and making that those who are living here without documentation, have a pathway to legalization, he said.

The coalition plans to call on Arizona legislators to make immigration reform a priority for Congress.

This is a really important time to being doing this work, he said. We are seeing record high support from American voters on both sides of the isle for common sense immigration reform.

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Arizona launches statewide coalition to address immigration reform - KTAR.com