New economic impact data bolsters calls for Biden administration to expand work permits for long-term residents
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WASHINGTON – On Tuesday, April 16 at 4:00 p.m. EST, leaders from American Families United from across the country, American Business Immigration Coalition, FWD.us and UNITE HERE Local 1 will join Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin and Senator Alex Padilla for a briefing about the enormous contributions that long-term undocumented immigrants make to our communities and economy. New analysis from FWD.us will outline how expanding access to work permits would only increase this financial impact.
WHO:
- U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL)
- U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA)
- Ashley DeAzevedo, President, American Families United (New Jersey), and U.S. citizen spouses of long-term immigrants from Arizona, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin
- Rebecca Shi, Executive Director, American Business Immigration Coalition
- Dr. Phillip Connor, Senior Demographer, FWD.us
- Karen Kent, President, UNITE HERE Local 1, Illinois
- Roushaunda Williams, Member and Leader, UNITE HERE Local 1; Executive Committee, Illinois AFL-CIO
- Sam Sanchez, Chairman and CEO, Third Coast Hospitality; Board Member, National Restaurant Association; Board Chair (Retired), Illinois Restaurant Association
- Matt Teagarden, CEO, Kansas Livestock Association
- Irayda Flores, Owner, El Mar de Cortez Corporation, Arizona
- Lisa Winton, CEO, Winton Machine, Georgia
- Manolo Betancur, Owner, Manolo’s Bakery, North Carolina
WHAT: Protecting American Families: Economic Briefing on Tax Contributions of Immigrant Spouses of US Citizens
WHERE: SVC 208 – Capitol Visitor Center (Senate side)
WHEN: Tuesday, April 16 at 4:00 p.m. EST
Senators Durbin, Rosen, Warnock, Fetterman and fifteen other senators recently sent a letter to President Biden asking him to “protect and unify American families” and “provide much needed relief for undocumented immigrants and the American businesses, families, and communities that rely upon them.” Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson; Iris Ramos Jones, Director of the Nevada Office for New Americans (appointed by Gov. Lombardo); more than 80 Members of Congress; and hundreds of leaders representing U.S business, labor, local government, faith, civil rights, and family voices have been calling for this commonsense policy change for years.
On April 5, DHS Secretary Mayorkas acknowledged the call to action. The proposal is legally sound, politically smart and requires only discreet updates to the existing USCIS policy manual to expand work permits to nuclear relatives of U.S. citizens.
Additionally, the U.S. economy needs immigrants. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, there are 9.5 million job openings in the U.S. Even if every person looking for work today is employed, there would still be 3 million vacancies. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office attributes a $ 7 trillion increase to the national GDP to immigration. While mixed-status families already contribute billions in federal, state, and local taxes, a FWD.US estimate finds that permitting undocumented spouses to work legally would increase their tax contributions by $5 billion.
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American Business Immigration Coalition (ABIC) is a bipartisan coalition of over 1,200+ CEOs, business owners, and trade associations across 17 mostly red and purple states. ABIC promotes common sense 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.