Immigration Reform Now.
By Victor Rojas (Arkansas)
For too long, millions of undocumented immigrants have lived in fear of their lives being uprooted, their families torn apart, their dreams of a better life in America ruined. We must repair our nation’s broken immigration system with a plan that ends their heartache, and puts the American Dream within their reach.
On June 27th, a bipartisan coalition in the U.S. Senate voted to reaffirm our values, advance our ideals, and honor our history as a nation of immigrants by passing comprehensive immigration reform. With this action, the Senate moved our country one step closer to achieving commonsense reform that reflects our heritage and makes America more American.
From generation to generation, immigrants have built, strengthened, and enriched our culture and our society; they have brought their hopes, optimism, and aspirations to the ongoing pursuit of the American Dream. That tradition is embedded into the very fabric of American strength and tradition, and in our time, we must make our own contribution to that legacy with commonsense, comprehensive immigration reform. We must be welcoming of anyone who aspires to do something more, who’s willing to work hard to do it, and is willing to pledge allegiance to our flag.
If enacted, the Senate bill would establish the most aggressive border security plan in our history. It would offer a pathway to earned citizenship for the 11 million individuals who are in this country illegally — a pathway that includes passing a background check, learning English, paying taxes and a penalty, and then going to the back of the line behind everyone who’s playing by the rules and trying to come here legally. It would modernize the legal immigration system so that it once again reflects our values as a nation and addresses the urgent needs of our time. And it would provide a huge boost to our economic recovery, by reducing our deficits and growing our economy. The Senate did its job. It’s now up to the House to do the same.
According to the the independent Congressional Budget Office, the Senate’s immigration bill would reduce federal deficits by about $200 billion over the next 10 years, and about $700 billion in the second decade. A surge of legal immigrants would create even more tax revenue by way of income and payroll taxes. Immigration reform will also strengthen the solvency of the Social Security Trust Fund in the short run and the long run by reforming the legal immigration system and increasing by millions the number of currently-undocumented workers who will be paying payroll taxes. CBO also found that immigration reform will increase real GDP by 3.3% in 2023, and 5.4% in 2033. In recent years, one in four of America’s new small business owners were immigrants. 40% of Fortune 500 companies were started by a first- or second-generation American. Passing immigration reform isn’t just the right thing to do; it’s the smart thing to do.
House Republicans must now put politics aside and act in the best interest of American competitiveness in the global economy by passing comprehensive immigration reform. Contrary to conservative claims, this immigration bill is not amnesty. The bill mandates fines, background checks and waiting periods, and it’s tougher than the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. Legislation outlining a 13-year pathway to legal status and eventually citizenship is not amnesty. The opponents of this bill will try their hardest to pull this bipartisan effort apart so they can stop commonsense reform from becoming a reality. We can’t let that happen. We have a unique opportunity to fix our broken system in a way that upholds our traditions as a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants. Congress must finish the job. It’s now up to the grassroots movement, Democrats, the President and everyone else to make clear the consequences if House Republicans kill this bill.
The time for common-sense, comprehensive immigration reform is here. We define ourselves as a nation of immigrants, because that’s who we are. As a Young Democrat, I believe that the promise of America is equal opportunity for all and special privilege for none. We are a nation of values, founded on the idea that all people are created equal and that all people have rights, no matter where they come from or what they look like. Our immigration laws should reflect our commitment to these values.
Victor J. Rojas is Chairman of the Teen Democrats of Arkansas. Tweet him @victorjrojas.
