And why immigration reforms should be a top priority for President Biden
 ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌


 

 

 

John, 

During last year's State of the Union address, President
Biden remarked
<[link removed]>, "And
if we are to advance liberty and justice, we need to secure the border
and fix the immigration system." One year later, Congress has yet to
pass legislation that addresses needed immigration reforms. Biden should
address border and immigration reforms even more clearly in this
year's speech and lay the groundwork for his administration and
members of Congress from both parties to work together on meaningful
solutions. Here's why: 

* There's bipartisan support for border and immigration reforms, from
your neighborhood to the halls of Congress.   

Immigration reforms have support across party lines, civic groups and
industries - from religious leaders and business executives to labor
unions. In polling
<[link removed]> of
1,000 registered voters conducted last year, 73% of voters, including
70% of self-identified conservatives, supported meaningful immigration
reforms.

Urge Congress to support popular, bipartisan immigration reforms.
<[link removed]> 

In December, Sens. Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina) and Kyrsten Sinema
(I-Arizona) introduced a bipartisan immigration framework
<[link removed]> that
addressed border reforms and a solution for Dreamers. Though the
framework didn't become law, it was a step in the right direction -
ultimately showing that bipartisan consensus is possible and within
reach. And earlier this month, on the heels of President Biden's
border trip, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) led a group of eight
bipartisan senators
<[link removed]>, on a visit to the
U.S. southern border. While there, they promised to set up a bipartisan
coalition and renewed their commitment to working together on
legislative solutions. 

It's clear that bipartisan public support for immigration reforms
exists - and the time to get legislation done is now.  

Urge President Biden and Congress to act on this opportunity to
advance a package of needed legislative reforms, including humane,
commonsense border solutions and long-term fixes to our immigration
system. <[link removed]> 

* Dreamers can't continue to live in limbo and need permanent
legislative solutions. 

For over 10 years, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) has
been a lifeline for many Dreamers. More than 600,000 current DACA
recipients have studied, worked and built lives in the U.S.,
contributing as health care workers, teachers, engineers and more. DACA
recipients hold $25 billion in spending power in the American economy
and contribute billions in federal, state and local taxes each year.  

However, because DACA was created via executive action and not
congressional legislation, it is in a perpetual state of legal limbo. It
can be revoked at any time, and cases winding through to courts have a
very real possibility of ending with the Supreme Court ending the
program altogether. In the meantime, USCIS is blocked from adjudicating
new applications, and hundreds of thousands of additional Dreamers are
not eligible because they missed the cutoff date for the program.  

Dreamers and their employers, teachers and classmates need stability
for themselves and their families. Americans from across the political
spectrum support legislation
<[link removed]> that
would provide permanent solutions for Dreamers. Now it's up to
Congress to act - and they can do so this year.  

Make your voice heard: tell Congress that you're among the millions of
Americans who support a pathway to permanence for Dreamers.
<[link removed]> 

* Labor shortages and inflation can be addressed via fixing our
immigration system. 

The U.S. is amid a demographic
<[link removed]> and
workforce crisis - baby boomers are retiring; millennials are having
fewer children than previous generations and immigration levels are at
the lowest levels we have seen in decades. All are contributing to
America's labor shortage. These shortages across industries, in turn,
are contributing to supply chain issues and rising food prices.  

Remind your representatives that demographic decline, rising food
prices and worker shortages can be addressed in part through fixing our
outdated and often dysfunctional immigration system.  
<[link removed]>

Through better legal immigration pathways, industries can address labor
shortages, work to alleviate supply chain issues, reduce inflation, and
help the U.S. economy grow and flourish. 

Bipartisan reforms proposed in the last Congress could have helped
farmers get the workers they need to tend their crops and their cows,
reduce food waste from unharvested crops, prevent the offshoring of food
production and ultimately stabilize food prices for American
families.  

Urge Congress to revisit crucial agricultural immigration
reform proposals this year. <[link removed]> 

Revamping and updating our immigration system can help with growing
market demands and spur vitality and growth in our communities.
Immigrants are essential to our prosperity.  

President Biden has a chance to address immigration and reiterate that
it is a priority during this year's State of the Union. We hope that
he will do so and work with both Democrats and Republicans in Congress
on bipartisan solutions this year. 

Act now! Urge Congress to pass much needed updates to our immigration
system this year. <[link removed]> 

Sincerely,

Marcela Aguirre 
Assistant Vice President of Digital Communications 
National Immigration Forum 

 

DONATE
<[link removed]>

 

**Follow Us**

 

[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]

National Immigration Forum

10 G Street NE, Suite 500

Washington, DC 20002

www.immigrationforum.org <[link removed]>

 

Unsubscribe from fundraising emails <%UNSUBSCRIBELINK>
or opt-out from all Forum emails.
<[link removed]>

 

                                               
           
_________________

Sent to [email protected]

Unsubscribe:
[link removed]

National Immigration Forum, 10 G St NE, Suite 500, Washington, D.C. 20002, United States