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Since its inception, the United States has been synonymous with immigration, the immigrant experience and the American Dream. However, in recent years it has become painfully obvious that our current immigration system is woefully broken. As an Orlando Immigration Attorney, I believe in comprehensive immigration reform. What is happening with immigration? Earlier this year, a group of Senators including Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) crafted a bill creating a way for undocumented immigrants to become legal citizens of the U.S. The bill passed in the Senate, yielding a vote of 68-32. Despite the bipartisan effort, controversy surrounds the bill. The chair of the Judiciary Committee for immigration policy, Republican Rep. Bob Goodlatte, suggested the House of Representatives might draft its own bill and leave the final decision to a future Congress. Frank Sharry, the president of immigration advocacy group, America’s Voice, believes this simply gives Republicans an “out” and told reporters, “They don’t have an out. They either pass it or they get blamed for blocking it.” What exactly is the Immigration Reform Bill? The Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act, S. 744, is a bill drafted by both Democrats and Republicans. It proposes a way to fix the broken U.S. immigration system. If passed, a “pathway” to citizenship becomes available to 11 million undocumented immigrants. The Social Security Administration (SSA) estimated in this actuarial note that almost two-thirds of the 11 million undocumented immigrant workers are forced to work in underground labor markets. Since they are unauthorized to work in the U.S. they, along with their employer, are unable to legally claim earnings or pay payroll taxes. The remaining one-third of undocumented immigrants provide around $12 billion in payroll taxes annually. It is estimated that the U.S. loses around $20 billion in payroll taxes every year. If the bill is passed, undocumented immigrants who accept and move forward with earning their citizenship will have to go through a process. A White House fact sheet describes the four parts of President Barack Obama’s immigration reform proposal. First, the nation’s borders would be strengthened. Second, companies hiring undocumented workers would be sought after. Third, undocumented immigrants would be held accountable before they are able to earn their citizenship by paying taxes and penalty fees, learning English, passing background checks, and “moving to the back of the line.” Lastly, the immigration system for families, workers, and employees would be streamlined. With each part working in unison, the immigration system would be fixed, and the U.S. would begin to benefit from such a legislative change. What are the benefits of immigration reform? There are numerous benefits that will be made possible by comprehensive immigration reform. According to a Center for American Progress (CAP) infographic, if the 11 million undocumented immigrants were provided legal status in 2013, it would result in several economic improvements over the course of a decade. First, the newly documented citizens would receive a 15.1% increase in their wages. As a result, they would pay $109 billion in federal, state, and local taxes. Their cumulative earnings would also increase by $392 billion. According to the same infographic, the money spent on taxes would create jobs and fund higher education. This money alone could pay for the salaries of over 700,000 K-12 teachers from $40 billion in state and local taxes. This could also provide funding for over 12 million new Pell Grants from the $69 billion from federal taxes. After adding those figures together, the benefits would trickle down to businesses, and increase the cumulative earnings of all citizens by $470 billion. This would lead to an average increase of 121,000 jobs annually. As a result of the extra jobs and the economy’s growth, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) will increase by $832 billion over the next decade. With such an increase in the economy, there would be a lower percentage of unemployment, and wages would increase as businesses hire more workers to meet the demands of a growing economy. A CAP article noted that with 11 million undocumented immigrants earning citizenship and then becoming eligible to vote, the percentage of voting participation would increase as well. The CAP’s report stated, “Over the next four years, the number of eligible Latino voters nationwide is projected to increase by more than 4 million to 27.7 million.” With the given facts, studies, and evidentiary support, as a Central Florida Immigration Attorney, I am in full support of comprehensive immigration reform. Research-backed data and statistics demonstrate that such a reform will truly benefit the U.S. If you have questions about the impact of comprehensive immigration reform, or any other immigration law issues, call Henry Lim at Lim & Associates, P.A. at (407) 897-8870.
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