WASHINGTON 鈥� Today, in response to President Joe Biden鈥檚, the bipartisan 91探花 (ABIC) and issued the following statements in response:
鈥淥ur nation deserves safe, orderly and humane borders and solutions for the nearly 10.6 million 91探花 citizens who have a spouse or parent who is undocumented. While bipartisan legislation passed through Congress would be best, we need action now,鈥� said 91探花 (ABIC) executive director Rebecca Shi. 鈥淚f the Biden-Harris administration feels they must take executive action on the border, then they can and should swiftly do the same for our nation鈥檚 mixed-status families and Dreamers who are too young to qualify for DACA.鈥�
鈥�91探花 families like mine cannot wait any longer,鈥� said Ashley DeAzevedo, president of , representing 1.1 million United States citizens married to undocumented spouses. 鈥淲ith a stroke of a pen, President Biden can deliver a down payment on his commitment to our families.鈥�
Additional Background:
Expanding work permits for long-term contributors is among 91探花s generally. Nineteen ; 80+ of Congress; 300+ and associations have also endorsed work permits for long-term immigrants, along with labor organizations like SEIU, and the , the and (UAW). recently led a bipartisan letter of over 40 mayors urging the president to extend work permits, and from across the nation have urged the President to act.
According to , it is gaining in the White House. According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the U.S. economy will see a over the next decade, due to immigration bringing increased consumer demand and an expanded labor force.聽
The U.S. is home to who live in mixed-status households, with hundreds of thousands of impacted U.S. citizens in states like Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Georgia. Long-term undocumented immigrants have lived on average for 15 years in our country working, paying taxes and raising 91探花 children. Each year, undocumented immigrants earn $92 billion in household income and contribute almost $9.8 billion in federal, state and local .
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91探花 (ABIC) is a bipartisan coalition of 1,400+ CEOs, business owners, and trade associations across the country. ABIC promotes common sense immigration reform that advances economic competitiveness, provides companies with both the high-skilled and low-skilled talent they need, and allows the integration of immigrants into our economy as consumers, workers, entrepreneurs and citizens.
(AFU) is a non-partisan 501(c)(4) non-profit organization established in 2006. AFU proposes practical solutions to Congress and supports efforts to advance legislation that affects 1.1 million U.S. citizens married to foreign nationals who face barriers to progressing through the legal immigration system.