Immigration reform will boost Florida’s workforce

More than four months ago, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the American Dream and Promise Act (ADPA) and the

Farm Workforce Modernization Act (FWMA). Passed with bipartisan support, the FWMA and the ADPA’s companion bill, the Dream Act, now await action in the Senate — leaving many hard-working undocumented immigrants without certainty and damaging the American economy.

Together, these critical pieces of legislation would provide an earned pathway to citizenship for qualified Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, DACA-eligible individuals, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders and undocumented immigrants in agriculture. Our economy is battling a labor shortage and recovering from a pandemic. We need these workers now. In Florida, more than 50% of our undocumented population have been on the front lines of the pandemic as essential workers.

This pathway to earned citizenship is an investment in America’s workforce and in our economy. With legal certainty, those who are now undocumented can continue to meet the needs of our essential industries. Should these bills become law, Florida would gain more than $800 million in state and local tax revenue and add more than $12.2 billion in new economic contributions.

Recently, a U.S. District Court ruled that all new DACA applications will be frozen, barring tens of thousands of young immigrants from getting work authorizations and protection from deportation.

Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott must put partisanship aside and act in the best interest of Floridians by passing immigration reform now.

– Julio Fuentes, founder and CEO, Florida State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce,

Tallahassee