Kicking off a busy week of White House and Congressional advocacy, a New Report Highlights 285k New Jobs, Nearly $8 Billion Boost in GDP if Dream and Promise Act is Passed
A new article in The Hill highlights a report from the Center for American Progress that outlines the economic benefit of providing a pathway to citizenship for immigrants already in the United States. If Congress finally takes action and passes the Dream and Promise Act, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders and Dreamers would have permanent protection from deportation, 285,400 new jobs would be created, and the GDP would be boosted by $799 Billion.
The House version of the Dream and Promise Act of 2021 (HR 6), passed in March. The Senate Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing on the legislation tomorrow, Tuesday, June 15.
The economic boon that would come from passage of the Dream and Promise Act will no doubt be a topic of discussion at the Senate hearing tomorrow, where potential TPS holders will join Dreamers and immigrant advocates in testifying. There are a series of other events, including a noon rally in Lafayette Park across the street from the White House, congressional briefings and, in the afternoon, a group of TPS holders and Dreamers will meet with Vice President Kamala Harris in the White House.
The new report kicks off a busy week of White House and Congressional advocacy in support of Congress taking action to pass the Dream and Promise Act. The economic boost is just one of the benefits to be derived from the legislation. TPS holders who have been living here and paying taxes for decades can continue creating businesses, contributing to their local communities, building families and lives in the U.S., and sending back remittances that stabilize countries around the world.
According to Douglas Rivlin, Director of Communication for America’s Voice:
“It couldn’t be more clear: Congress can’t afford to delay boosting the U.S. economy by passing the Dream and Promise Act. As we continue to grapple with the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the country can’t afford to leave TPS holders – many of whom are essential workers directly risking their lives to help the rest of us survive – behind. Part of reversing the cruelty of the Trump administration is for Democrats to take action with or without help from Republicans. Congress has a moral, political, and economic imperative to make permanent protections for TPS holders and the broader immigrant community a priority.”
The Hill article is excerpted below and available online here.
Granting a pathway to citizenship to all undocumented immigrants in the U.S. would boost the nation’s economy by $1.7 trillion over the next decade while creating 438,800 new jobs, according to a new report by the Center for American Progress (CAP) and the University of California, Davis.
…The CAP-UC Davis report analyzed the potential economic impact of full legalization, as well as a pathway to citizenship just for essential workers; the American Dream and Promise Act, which would grant papers to Dreamers and TPS holders; and legalization of Dreamers, TPS holders and essential workers together.
Passage of the American Dream and Promise Act would boost the national GDP by $799 billion and create 285,400 new jobs over the next decade. The average salary of covered Dreamers and TPS holders would rise by $16,800 over that time span, while nationwide average salaries would be pushed up by $400.
…According to the report, 5 million undocumented immigrants are considered essential workers, based on Census Bureau data and a Department of Homeland Security definition of “essential workers.”
A combination of the American Dream and Promise Act plus pathway to citizenship for essential workers would boost GDP by $1.5 trillion, create 400,800 new jobs raise the immigrants’ wages by $13,500 and nationwide average wages by $600.”
