This past week has been an extremely busy one for immigration advocates across the nation. From civil disobedience in Washington to grassroots rallies held in swing districts, the country’s news outlets have had a lot to cover in the way of immigration. A rally this past Friday in Representative Steve King’s district brought hundreds to their feet in applause for DREAMers and their stories. The day before, cantaloupes were delivered to over 200 House Republicans and Democrats with stickers asking for a vote on a pathway to citizenship. And 41 pro-immigration reform activists participated in an act of civil disobedience on Capitol Hill and were arrested on Thursday afternoon.
While immigration reform should be passed simply because it is the right thing to do and would help millions across the nation contribute to the country they call home, a case can also be made for the tremendous impact it would have on the economy. Columnists, business leaders and even Senators wrote on the economic benefits immigration reform could make locally and nationally this past weekend.
Here is a sample of op-eds and editorials written this weekend that deal specifically with the economic benefits of a comprehensive immigration bill:
From the Argus Leader: “Find Solution to Immigration Reform.”
South Dakota’s farm country depends on migrant labor, and fixing immigration laws will help provide security for those workers and area farmers, both crop and livestock farmers. In the end, immigration is a national and a local issue. We need to find a way to make it possible for working immigrants to make a life here.
In farm states, immigration is big, and those in Congress need to find a plan that will continue to provide security yet offer opportunities for those laborers and the farmers who employ them.
We hope our congressional delegation can support immigration reform for the sake of the economy and that Republicans, in particular, will be able to decide when secure is secure enough. It’s a 3-D problem that’s not just border security and can’t be dismissed as only something for other states to worry about.
From the Desert Sun: “Reform Can Strengthen the Agriculture Industry.”
A Report says that 73 percent of California farmworkers are non-citizens, the highest of any state. A majority are undocumented. The Desert Sun believes the nation needs a system that no longer treats migrant workers as second-class, temporary visitors and recognizes that the 11 million undocumented workers in this country are already part of the fabric of our society. They’re not going “home.” This is home.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said that without the agriculture-jobs provision in the U.S. Senate’s immigration reform package approved in June, California’s $34 billion agricultural industry would suffer. Quoting from the White House report, “The Economic Benefits to Agriculture and Rural Communities,” he said California farmers could lose as much as $3 billion if migrant workers were banned from working for them. That seems like a low estimate.
From the Toledo Blade: “Immigration and the Economy.” [Toledo, Ohio, is closest to the congressional districts of Republican Reps. Jim Jordan (OH-4) and Bob Gibbs (OH-8).]
As members of Congress left for summer recess, the White House gave them something else to consider — the economic case for immigration reform. As economic growth is something Republican lawmakers profess to want, they should in theory find this neglected part of the debate interesting.
So it is entirely logical that bringing 11 million people out of the shadow economy and into the legitimate one can only benefit the nation. If the Senate bill becomes law, the report predicts that the U.S. economy will be 5.4 percent larger by 2033 than under the status quo.
Social Security is going steadily broke for want of enough young workers to support aging retirees. The chief actuary of the Social Security Administration estimates that the Senate bill would add nearly $300 billion to the trust fund over the next decade, and extend the system’s solvency by two years.
The bill will also help reduce deficits. The Congressional Budget Office predicts that passage of immigration reform will cut the federal budget deficit by nearly $850 billion over the next 20 years.
Silver City Sun: “Immigration Fix a Priority in New Mexico” (By: Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich)
A more efficient immigration and visa system will provide our employers the workforce they need and build our economy, while also protecting American jobs and wages. Our current visa program makes it difficult for farmers to hire the workers they need and sends some of our most talented students back to their countries of origin where they find themselves competing against American jobs rather than helping to create American jobs. And the labor pool comprised of millions of undocumented people allows for worker exploitation and low wages.
The independent Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its report showing that passing the Senate bipartisan immigration reform bill would reduce budget deficits by $197 billion over the next decade, and about $700 billion in the second decade.
From the Washington Post: “U.S. Travel Industry Supports Immigration Reform.”
Congress’s failure to act on immigration would maintain an unproductive status quo and deny countless U.S. companies — and their employees — a much-needed economic boost.
According to U.S. Travel Association research, more than 1 billion people worldwide traveled outside their home countries last year — a historic first. Unfortunately, while global long-haul travel increased 52 percent over the past decade, U.S. long-haul arrivals increased just 2 percent.
Much of this is attributable to dated or under-resourced tourist and business visa processing. The United States must be better prepared to take advantage of the explosive growth in travel demand building in emerging economies. While the Obama administration has made remarkable improvements to the visa application process in several critical markets, particularly Brazil and China, legislation is needed to build on these gains.
