A real opportunity presents itself to our legislators to greatly improve Florida’s workforce and strengthen our economy, and now is the time to act on it.
Recently, news leaked that Senators Thom Tillis and Kyrsten Sinema were spearheading a bipartisan immigration deal that would provide routes to hundreds of thousands of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, while investing in border security measures. This would mean that nearly 30,000 Florida DACA recipients would have the opportunity to continue to live, work and provide care in the Sunshine State – which would greatly benefit us all.
While this is a monumental step forward after a long period of stagnation in immigration reform in the United States, nothing is decided yet, and we must continue to urge our lawmakers to make the right decision for all Florida residents.
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This deal comes as the fate of DACA recipients in our country has never been more uncertain. In early October, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the program is illegal, throwing recipients into instability and chaos while awaiting another review by a Texas District Court, which is expected to come to the same decision. There are no solid answers yet for these young immigrants, who have only known America as home since arriving with their families at an average age of 7.
After living in America for decades, the vast majority of DACA recipients are now fully integrated into the workforce across the country, filling important job vacancies and driving their respective industries to success. Here in Florida, DACA recipients have earned an estimated $3.6 billion in wages since the program’s inception in 2012 — money that goes directly back into our economy. Additionally, DACA recipients in Florida have contributed $971 million in state, local and federal taxes over the past decade and are expected to contribute an additional $5.2 billion over the next decade as they complete their can maintain protection.
I have long been a proponent of immigration reform for our state because I can see firsthand how important our foreign-born neighbors are to Florida’s rich culture and thriving economy. Without these individuals, our success would be greatly diminished, and we all need to serve them now more than ever.
I thank Senators Tillis and Sinema for their leadership on this important issue, as most Americans across party lines agree it’s time for Dreamers to gain access to citizenship pathways. Our leaders in Congress have spent too much time debating the fate of our country’s immigration system, and this opportunity may be just what we need to drive more bipartisan unity on this issue in the years to come.
It is my hope that Senators Rubio and Scott, and all of our country’s legislators, will act in the best interests of all Americans and continue to advance this framework.
Julio Fuentes is President of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce for the State of Florida.
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