Today as we celebrate the 226th anniversary of the signing of our Constitution, 11 million aspiring Americans are still waiting for the House of Representatives to take action on comprehensive immigration reform legislation that would give them the opportunity to pursue citizenship.
At the heart of the debate is whether or not the House will follow the Senate’s lead in passing a roadmap to citizenship for the aspiring Americans living and working among us, and enact sensible reforms to our broken system to ensure future immigration to the United States.
Inclusion of a roadmap to citizenship is critical, not only for families, but also for our economy. Congressman Tony Cárdenas (D-CA) recognizes the many contributions immigrants make to our society and the importance of citizenship in a letter sent last week to House members. In his letter, he states that a “common sense solution that establishes a roadmap for people to earn a legal status that leads to citizenship will provide a much needed boost to our economic recovery and reduce the deficit.” In Illinois, immigration reform with a roadmap to citizenship would create 105,923 jobs by 2023 according to the American Action Network. Immigration reform—particularly citizenship—creates jobs in several ways.
When undocumented workers become documented, their wages increase. Similarly, when documented workers gain citizenship, their wages rise again by another five to 10 percent because their newfound security and stability allows them more opportunities.1 Citizenship means that individuals can overcome certain restrictions that otherwise prevent them from realizing their full potential. For example, non-citizens are restricted from many jobs, including those with the federal government and military, state and local jobs such as police officers and firefighters, and jobs requiring frequent travel abroad or security clearance.
Immigrant workers who begin to make more money begin to consume more goods and services, which helps companies expand and hire more workers. Moreover, according to the Partnership for a New American Economy naturalized immigrants earn as much as 16 percent more than their non-citizen counterparts, meaning that they have more income to spend at local businesses and to contribute in the form of income taxes.
Citizenship also signals to employers that employees intend to stick around. Therefore, employers are more likely to invest in training and wages to raise workers’ productivity and promote them into higher positions.2 Close to 45 percent of the wage increase that recently legalized immigrants enjoy is due to increases in their human capital. This, in turn, directly benefits both companies and consumers.3
The United States is sitting on a huge resource of untapped human potential. The House needs to take action. No legislation pending in the House does anything to address the status of the 11 million aspiring Americans. Some prominent Republicans have stopped short of endorsing a full roadmap to citizenship in favor of legal status with no citizenship. This is unacceptable. In addition to creating a permanent underclass within our society, the benefits of immigration reform are drastically reduced by 40 percent if both legalization and citizenship are not included.4
Exactly 226 years ago today, our country’s founders signed the Constitution and created American citizenship. We must honor that history and create laws that are fair for all Americans—both native-born and citizens by choice. We must continue to demand comprehensive immigration reform with a roadmap to citizenship for all 11 million hardworking, aspiring Americans who deserve full recognition.
1. Hunt, Jennifer. The Economic Benefits of Citizenship. White House, Washington, DC, 14 Aug 2013. Lecture.
2. Hunt, Jennifer. The Economic Benefits of Citizenship. White House, Washington, DC, 14 Aug 2013. Lecture.
3. Lynch, R. & P. Oakford. “The Economic Effects of Granting Legal Status and Citizenship to Undocumented Immigrants.” Center for American Progress. 2013. http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/immigration/news/2013/04/16/60592/infographic-how-legalization-and-citizenship-helps-the-economy/
Photo Credit: Alexandra Strada
Jennifer Chan is NIJC's associate director of policy.