Biden’s Immigration Reform Bill Will help Country Rebuild and Recover From Pandemic
WASHINGTON, DC — Today, President Joe Biden began the work of repairing and rebuilding our economy by putting forward an immigration bill that will create a pathway to citizenship for millions of people. He also signed executive actions protecting DACA, and eliminating travel bans on mostly Muslim countries.
An earned path to citizenship for 11 million people would boost the country’s GDP by $1.5 trillion over 10 years. As newly legalized immigrants enter the labor force, they will increase the “wage floor” for American workers, support 750,000 to 900,000 American jobs, open new businesses, and increase employment opportunities for all. A new poll by Fox News released on election day found that more than 70% of Americans — 91% Biden supporters and over half of Trump voters — support legal status for undocumented immigrants.
On Thursday, January 21, the Chief Senate Sponsor of President Biden’s immigration bill, Sen. Bob Menendez, will brief the American Business Immigration Coalition (ABIC) and its partners on what is in the bill. The immigration briefing is open to the media, you can sign up here.
Rebecca Shi, Executive Director of ABIC, said the following:
“The hard work to legalize 11 million people begins today. It is economically important, morally right, and politically smart. Fixing our broken immigration system will help boost our economic recovery from the pandemic, and will keep families together. Both parties need to come to the table, no excuses. Poll after poll has shown that the majority of voters want to legalize the millions of people who live in a shadow economy. We need to bring them into the light to the benefit of their families, businesses and our economy. We are ready to get to work.”
John Rowe, Chairman Emeritus, Exelon Corporation and ABIC Co-Chair
“The pandemic has exposed our reliance on essential workers who don’t have legal status. It is time to celebrate and welcome them as American citizens. If your labor feeds, builds and cares for our nation, you have earned the right to stay here.”
Mike Fernandez, MBF Healthcare Partners Chairman and ABIC Co-Chair:
“The business community is looking forward to working with President Biden, and leaders from both parties to reform our immigration laws so that businesses have the people capital they need to grow and stimulate the economy. Our recovery depends on it. When we legalize the undocumented, we unleash their economic potential, which will help us recover from this pandemic. Immigrants are essential workers who have helped our country get by during this pandemic, but they are also job creators that create opportunities for all workers. It is time to formalize their contributions by legalizing their status and bringing much needed certainty to their lives.”
Juan Carlos Cerda, Business Outreach Manager for the Texas Business Immigration Coalition, an ABIC affiliate, said the following:
“As a DACA recipient, I know all too well the fragility of my immigration status. For the past four years, the threat of deportation and the loss of my livelihood have hung over me and my undocumented family. That is why, today, I thank President Biden for keeping his promise to protect DACA and enact executive orders that respect the dignity and contributions of all immigrants to the United States. It is not lost on me that DACA has transformed my life and the lives of over 110,000 Texas Dreamers for the better, allowing us to work, buy homes, and support our families. But as the last four years have shown, the program is far from enough to protect us and 1.8 million undocumented Texans from deportation. I call on President Biden and Congress to ensure that our hardworking immigrants obtain a fair path to citizenship to strengthen our country, its economy, and our communities.”
Josh Hoyt, Democracy Partners and ABIC Co-chair, said the following:
“We cannot move forward if we discriminate against muslim countries, exclude refugees fleeing violence and natural disasters, and negate the contributions of undocumented who work hard every day. We welcome President Biden and look forward to building solutions for our nation and its immigrants, together.”
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The American Business Immigration Coalition (ABIC) promotes commonsense immigration reform that advances economic competitiveness, provides companies with both the high-skilled and low-skilled talent they need, and allows the integration of immigrants into our economy as consumers, workers, entrepreneurs, and citizens.