The past 18 months of the COVID-19 pandemic and the start of our recovery have highlighted for all of us how fundamental immigrants are to our country and its prosperity.
Nearly one-fifth of all essential workers in the U.S. are immigrants,
and they have shown us time and time again that they are a critical and irreplaceable part of our labor force. Throughout the pandemic, these essential immigrant workers risked their own lives and their families’ health to keep food on our tables, provide health care, and keep industries afloat.
As the country begins to reopen, immigrant workers remain as essential as ever not only in helping the economy rebound to full strength, but also in ensuring a prosperous future. In addition to its spending power, our foreign-born population is currently positioned to make outsized contributions to America’s long-term economic growth. Immigrants are more likely to be of prime working age, more likely to go into Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) sectors, and more likely to start businesses than the native-born population.
But despite immigrants’ vital contributions and critical role in our nation’s future, anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies continue to drive many of our immigrant neighbors into the shadows. It’s time to make sure our foreign-born population knows we welcome them in our communities and send a clear message that immigrants belong here.
We hope you’ll join us in sending a clear message to the immigrants who have stood alongside native-born Americans throughout the pandemic: We thank you for keeping our communities safer, and we look forward to a brighter future together.
Karla Leyja
Communications Associate
National Immigration Forum
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