A group of 28 House Democrats made their last-minute plea on Thursday for the Senate to take on immigration reform before Congress returns home for recess.
In a letter led by the “three amigos” – Reps. Lou Correa (D-Calif.), Jesus García (D-Ill.) and Adriano Espaillat (DN.Y.) — Democrats called on Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (DN.Y.) and the leader of Senate Minority Mitch McConnell (R)-Ky.) to propose legislation granting a pathway to citizenship for the nearly 11 million undocumented people in the country.
“The inclusion of permanent protections for immigrants across the country is a moral, economic and political imperative that must be addressed. As we move forward with a slim majority, the need to pass immigration reform has become increasingly important,” the Democrats wrote.
General appeal is important, as he publicly advocates for the granting of papers to more than 10 million people, rather than picking favorites within the undocumented community.
“In the United States, there are currently 10.5 million undocumented immigrants who have deep roots in our communities, serve on the front lines of industries that help our nation thrive, attend American colleges and universities, and constitute the backbone of the American economy.” wrote the Democrats.
In their pitch, lawmakers highlight the economic contributions of undocumented immigrants, including beneficiaries of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) programs, as well as farm workers, undocumented laborers and longtime residents with no path to citizenship. .
For the majority of undocumented people in the country, there is no option available to obtain legal status.
Undocumented immigrants play a vital role in our local communities and nationally. They continue to provide essential services to help keep our communities and our country running. They are crucial to the nation’s economic recovery and our future economic growth,” the Democrats wrote.
“In 2016, immigrants added $2 trillion to US GDP and $458.7 billion in state, local and federal taxes in 2018. Overall, they also have $1.2 trillion in purchasing power dollars,” they added.
The lawmakers also wrote that granting papers to undocumented immigrants would boost US gross domestic product by $1.7 trillion over 10 years and add nearly half a million jobs to the economy.
Yet the prospects for any immigration bill dim as the Congressional calendar gets shorter and members cut back on must-have legislation to ease its passage.
Two House-passed bills — one protecting DACA and TPS recipients, the other expanding farmworker visas — are unlikely to see the Senate, and Senate immigration deals won’t see the light of day in the Senate. have so far failed to gain ground.
But with their appeal, Democratic lawmakers are signaling that they are prepared to hold a last-minute rally if the Senate approves immigration measures before the end of the current Congress and the new GOP majority takes over in the House.
This is a crucial moment. Millions of immigrants living in the United States are counting on the leadership of Congress to take an important step toward realizing a path to fair, inclusive, and equitable citizenship. As Labor Secretary Marty Walsh puts it, inaction is not an option and could lead to “disaster.”
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