The President and his White House team are out today with strong statements in support of enacting legislation with new pathways to citizenship.
White House Council of Economic Advisors, “The Economic Benefits of Extending Permanent Legal Status to Unauthorized Immigrants.”
Granting permanent legal status would … likely raise tax revenues, increase productivity, and have additional benefits for the children of these immigrants, generating substantial economic value for the country.
… Immigrants have made innumerable contributions to American business and society. However, current law confines millions of them to a life in the shadows, without the rights to be fully economically engaged or have access to foundational social protections. Such treatment inflicts harm on unauthorized immigrants themselves and their families—many of which include U.S. citizens and non-citizen legal residents—as well as to the broader economy.
Though some argue that increased take-up of social programs would generate a substantial fiscal cost to the government, the productivity of the newly-legalized would likely increase, which would benefit all in the United States by expanding economic output. Further, the ensuing increase in wages and compliance with tax requirements would increase their contributions to public sector finances, and their children would benefit as well. Allowing currently unauthorized workers to engage fully in the labor force would not only benefit the immigrants and their families, but society as a whole.
Additional economic analysis from the Center for American Progress (CAP) issued recently showed that providing citizenship to Dreamers, TPS recipients, farm workers and other essential workers “would add $1.5 trillion to the U.S. gross domestic product, create 400,000 new jobs, and raise the annual wages of all Americans by an average $600 over the next decade.”
President Biden commemorates Citizenship Day in new video calling for a pathway to citizenship:
I strongly support giving Dreamers, TPS recipients, farm workers and essential workers the long-awaited pathway to citizenship … to ensure that every brave immigrant can pursue all the rights and opportunities that come with American citizenship … I’m hopeful and I’m confident that this year we’re finally going to put that within reach.
The following is a statement from Frank Sharry, Executive Director of America’s Voice:
President Biden and the White House Council of Economic Advisors could not be clearer: legalizing undocumented immigrants will boost our economy and make our nation stronger. It’s long overdue for Congress to recognize the deep roots and contributions of immigrants who are American in all but paperwork.
