Reuniting Families Act Would Aid Economy, Help Clear Immigration Backlog By Reps. Mike Honda (D-Calif.), Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.) and Jared Polis (D-Colo.) The Hill [WEBSITE VERSION] June 3, 2009
During trying economic times, the natural reaction of many countries, ours included, is to close the borders and look inward. While America's consistent monthly job losses and the plummeting of the stock market may cause us to feel guarded, limiting immigration has proven to be economically unsound and harmful to American families.
At a time when we must utilize every available resource to stimulate our economy, comprehensive immigration reform makes good fiscal sense. The Reuniting Families Act, which we are introducing in Congress this week, should be at the heart of comprehensive immigration reform, seeking to fix our broken immigration system while taking into account the current economic climate.
Our family-based immigration system has not been updated in 20 years, separating spouses, children and their parents, who have played by the rules, for years, often decades. Our proposed legislation is in line with both American family values and with our short-term need to grow our economy and save taxpayer money. By providing American workers with a vital social safety net -- that is, their family -- we help make our communities stronger and more resilient.
The benefits here cannot be overstated. American workers with families by their side are happier, healthier and more able to succeed than those distanced from loved ones for years on end. Families provide a critical support system. By pooling resources, families can do together what they can't do alone -- start family businesses, create American jobs and contribute more to this country's welfare.
Strong families are essential to ensuring that breadwinners are efficient and effective on the job, whether that means taking on the responsibility of caring for children, the sick or the elderly, preparing lunches, or providing transportation for the often two-plus jobs many workers maintain.
It is something most of us take for granted, yet it is essential for a successful income-generating agenda: The healthier the community, the more expendable income is available and the lower the burden on government social services. This correlation is well researched and well substantiated, but it is up to us to make it a reality -- and this legislation is the place to start.
It is often the children of immigrants, U.S. citizens and U.S. permanent residents who benefit the most from having the support of a present and close-knit family. All families should be given the opportunity to work together to achieve the American dream, which is why this legislation would allow permanent partners the ability to reunite their families as well.
The Reuniting Families Act would also help to clear the current immigration logjam of 5.8 million people by providing legal mechanisms to streamline the application process. At present, the bureaucratic backlog wastes precious government resources, both human and financial. In response, this bill streamlines the application process so that it is fair and incentivizes potential applicants to use legal channels to join their family in the United States.
A streamlined system and reduced backlog would demonstrate to immigrants tempted to arrive outside the legal process that there is a light at the end of the tunnel for those who stay within the legal process. Lastly, reuniting families will keep tax dollars, or remittances, in the U.S. instead of having workers send substantial portions of their salary to their family members abroad. Unlike the rest of the struggling market, remittances continue to weather the economic storm as workers here send funds back to their families throughout Latin America and the rest of the world.
As an example of the potential, U.S. remittances to Latin America alone totaled nearly $46 billion in 2008. Of that, Mexico received nearly $24 billion. Remittances offer the most obvious potential cash infusion for our economy, as billions of dollars currently being sent overseas would instead be spent in American shops and restaurants, creating jobs and helping to get our economy going.
We understand how communities across America are inclined to take a narrow view at a time when pocketbooks are feeling the greatest pinch. That is exactly why we are so confident about the economic benefits that immigration-related stimulus would provide. The equation is simple: Keep American workers happy and healthy, with families at heart.
Our country can keep remittances that might otherwise be sent overseas, create social safety nets and larger expendable incomes, and make our immigration system more efficient by reducing bureaucratic backlogs. We must seize every opportunity this year to get our economy back on track, and one clear way of doing so is to reunite America's workers with their families.
Honda is chairman of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. Sanchez is a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Polis is co-chairman of the Congressional Equality Caucus.