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ObjectiveWe examined how the preferences of firms in immigrant‐heavy industries influence the enactment of immigration policies by states and considered whether political ideology, serving as an interpretive lens for such preferences, moderates the effects of industry influences. Existing hypotheses about immigrant policy predictors were also reevaluated.MethodWe coded all immigration bills enacted for years 2005–2012 and fit multilevel, mixed models to predict state‐year counts of beneficial and restrictive policies.ResultsModels showed that increases in GDP and employment within the accommodations industry predicted more beneficial immigrant policies within states. The effect of construction industry variables was conditional on state residents' political ideology. There was mixed support for extant racial and economic threat and political climate hypotheses.ConclusionFirms in sectors heavily dependent on immigrant labor influence state‐level immigrant policy. Some of these effects are direct, and some are moderated by state residents' political beliefs.