Working Towards Positive Solutions
Greetings,
Last month leaders from our Bibles, Badges, and Business network spoke on a webinar about our current immigration environment, demographics, local and national security impacts, and workforce needs. You can catch the recording here.
We are so grateful for the business community that is a part of our Forum network around the country. They advocate for policies that will help America continue to grow and thrive economically with an abundant workforce made up of immigrants and non-immigrants together. At the Forum, one of the ways we partner with the business community is through our Workforce Advance programs that include the Corporate Roundtable, which advocates for smart immigration solutions, and our integration programs English Advance and Citizenship Advance, which help our immigrant workforce thrive and grow at their places of employment through language and citizenship services.
In addition to helping immigrants thrive, Workforce Advance also provides a space for businesses to engage and inform Congress about workforce needs and shortages. ast fall, I met with a local business owner and city council president of a mid-size town who spoke to me about labor shortages at his business and the growing problem Ohio is facing. We spoke about both training and skills development for native born Ohioans and the importance of immigration in addressing current demographic problems and workforce shortages stemming from a large retiring generation and smaller generations entering the workforce.
This year there has been a decline of 7 million workers from the U.S. workforce due to ICE arrests of unauthorized immigrants, immigrants on visas and U.S. citizens, as well as the targeting of those seeking asylum in court, cancelling TPS and Humanitarian Parole for hundreds of thousands, and shuttering the Refugee Resettlement Program. The Bureau of Labor and Statistics released an alarming jobs report last month on the impactthe loss of these workers will have on the economy, adding to the labor shortages that businesses were already feeling. Lessons from history are important to remember. In the 2022 book Streets of Gold: America’s Untold Story of Immigrant Success, economists studied the 1920’s immigration quota laws that severely limited immigration and found that U.S. born communities that lost immigrant workers did not benefit, but instead local economies contracted and some whole sectors contracted as a result, negatively impacting Americans as prices inflated and jobs were eliminated. Native born Americans and immigrants together make for a strong growing economy and are a complement, not a competition.
There are positive movements in Congress this summer with bipartisan pieces of legislation on immigration reform coming forward. The Dignity Act, led by Rep. Maria Salazar (R-Florida), with dozens of pairs of Republican and Democrat cosponsors, is an example of a wholistic piece of immigration legislation that would improve our country. It includes significant improvements to border security, solutions for Dreamers and other long-term residents, and an American competitiveness piece that would increase our visa offerings to meet the 21st century needs of our workforce.
Representatives Marionette Miller-Meeks (R- Iowa) and Jason Crow (D- Colorado) are leading a bipartisan effort to honor our Afghan allies through the Afghan Adjustment Act. Four years after the withdrawal and evacuation of Afghanistan this would keep our promises to both our allies for putting their lives on the line for our military and veterans who have labored for this legislation.
Lastly, we are anticipating a bipartisan immigration reform effort from Congressmen Tom Suozzi (D-NY) and Morgan Luttrell (R-TX) to be revealed soon.
These bipartisan efforts are strongly supported by the American people, and we are grateful that Congress members are working together on them.
Join us as we continue to advocate together for the Afghan Adjustment Act!
Stay committed and hopeful,
Christy Staats
Assistant Vice President of Field and Constituencies
National Immigration Forum
P.S. If you have not registered for Leading the Way, do now so you can join us in Nashville next month (it’s free!) as we talk about protecting American ideals and boosting prosperity!
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