Washington, D.C. — Currently, 10.2 million undocumented immigrants are living and working in communities across the United States. On average, they have lived in the country for 16 years and are parents, grandparents, and siblings to another 10.2 million family members, enriching communities and contributing to the local and national economies.
As the country starts to prepare to build back better after the pandemic, putting undocumented immigrants on a pathway to citizenship—including Dreamers, temporary protected status holders, and the estimated 5 million undocumented immigrants working on the front lines of the pandemic—would increase U.S. gross domestic product by up to $1.7 trillion over the next decade, raise wages for all Americans, and create hundreds of thousands of new jobs. It will keep families together and ensure a durable, just, and equitable economic recovery and a better future for all working families.
Join us in this press call to discuss the economic benefits of granting a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, a discussion that will bring together Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX), directly affected individuals, leading economists, progressive partners, and leaders of the immigrants’ rights movement.
WHO:
Panelists:
- Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX)
- Giovanni Peri, Economist, Professor of Economics, University of California, Davis
- Rebecca Shi, Executive Director, American Business Immigration Coalition
- Carlos Guevara, Director, Immigration Policy Project, UnidosUS
- Alejandro Flores-Muñoz, DACA Recipient, small business owner from Colorado (first DACA recipient to obtain a business license in Denver)
Moderator:
Nicole Prchal Svajlenka, Associate Director for Immigration Research, Center for American Progress
WHEN:
Monday, June 14, 2021
3:30 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. ET
HOW:
Please RSVP here to receive an email with instructions on how to join this call.
For more information or to speak with an expert, please contact Claudia Montecinos at [email protected].