August 16, 2013

Yakima Herald Republic: Advocates press economic argument for immigration reform

media mention

YAKIMA, Wash. — Echoing a host of recent reports, a coalition of grower and labor interests presented a new study Tuesday that concludes comprehensive immigration reform would create jobs and pump billions of dollars into the state and national economies.

The report, a joint venture between the Washington, D.C.-based Center for American Progress and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, said the Senate legislation awaiting action in the U.S. House would spur $21.3 billion in increased economic output in the state over the next 10 years and create 3,083 new jobs annually in the state.
“It’s the smart thing to do for our economy in Washington,” Sue Henricksen, vice president of the Washington Federation of State Employees, the state chapter of AFSCME, said at a news conference Tuesday in Yakima.
Henricksen singled out for criticism Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Pasco, and others for not acting on a solution in the House.
The report also says there would be a $10.4 billion cumulative increase in the earnings of immigrants in the state over the next 10 years, which would result in an additional $1.3 billion in state and local tax collections over the same time period.
The report also cites a recent study from Harvard Medical School that found immigrants have already added a net of $115.2 billion through their taxable wages to the nation’s Medicare system from 2002 to 2009. Over the next 36 years, the report says immigration reform would lead to $1.2 trillion in contributions to the Social Security system.
According to the Congressional Budget Office, the Senate’s immigration reform proposal would add $450 billion in federal tax revenues alone over the next 10 years. A report released in July by the Washington, D.C., nonprofit Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy said undocumented immigrants paid $292 million in state and local taxes in Washington in 2010, ranking 10th in the nation.
In stating their case for comprehensive immigration reform, both Henricksen and Washington Grower’s League executive director Mike Gempler of Yakima said it’s imperative an agreement is reached in both houses of Congress sometime this fall.
“If we don’t act now, it will likely be 10 years before something is done,” Gempler said. “And we will pay a price. My industry, agriculture, will pay a price.”
Twenty-two House Republicans have come out in favor of a pathway to citizenship, which the Senate proposal would grant to about 11 million undocumented immigrants currently in the country through a 13-year process. Rep. Dave Reichert, a Republican, whose district includes Ellensburg and Wenatchee, announced last week he supports citizenship for the undocumented.
Hastings hasn’t publicly stated his position on a pathway to citizenship as outlined in the Senate proposal, but Gempler and Henricksen said they believe he is opposed to it.
“I don’t think he’s supporting comprehensive immigration reform; I think he supports some facets,” Gempler said.
The Yakima Herald-Republic has made numerous requests this year for clarity on Hastings’ position on a pathway to citizenship, but his spokesman said the congressman doesn’t yet plan to comment on that aspect of the Senate proposal.
“In terms of a pathway to citizenship, (Hastings) hasn’t said one way or another what he supports and we’re just leaving it at that right now,” Hastings spokesman Neal Kirby said in a telephone interview from Washington, D.C., on Tuesday.
In a follow-up email, Kirby said Hastings is open to all proposals currently on the table, but added that the congressman has long opposed the idea of an automatic path to citizenship.
“Those seeking legal status must be held accountable for their actions — they must be required to go to the end of the line, pass background checks, learn English, and pay back taxes and significant penalties for breaking the law,” Kirby said in the email.
Under the Senate proposal, immigrants would have to pay $2,000 in fines plus hundreds more in fees and outstanding taxes. No one with a felony conviction or more than three misdemeanors would be eligible, and no one who entered the country after Dec. 31, 2011, could apply. Immigrants would also have to show they’re learning English to be eligible.
Kirby said Hastings supports “complete immigration reform,” including legislation that strengthens border security, puts an end to illegal immigration and creates a more efficient and less bureaucratic guest worker program. Kirby cited another statistic from the Congressional Budget Office report that says the Senate bill would only reduce illegal immigration by 30 to 50 percent.
Gempler said he understands opponents’ concerns about the fairness of a pathway to citizenship for the undocumented, but that the current immigration system isn’t fair to workers or employers in need of labor.
“Many don’t have a way to come here legally,” Gempler said. “You have to be fairly lucky to be eligible for one of these programs we have now.”
There were approximately 230,000 undocumented immigrants living in Washington state in 2010, according to the Pew Hispanic Center.
Henricksen said it’s time for the Republican leadership in the U.S. House to discuss the issue candidly and work toward passage of reform.
“We’ve elected people to take charge and make decisions,” she said. “That hasn’t been happening rapidly in Washington for quite some time.”

YAKIMA, Wash. — Echoing a host of recent reports, a coalition of grower and labor interests presented a new study Tuesday that concludes comprehensive immigration reform would create jobs and pump billions of dollars into the state and national economies.

The report, a joint venture between the Washington, D.C.-based Center for American Progress and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, said the Senate legislation awaiting action in the U.S. House would spur $21.3 billion in increased economic output in the state over the next 10 years and create 3,083 new jobs annually in the state.

“It’s the smart thing to do for our economy in Washington,” Sue Henricksen, vice president of the Washington Federation of State Employees, the state chapter of AFSCME, said at a news conference Tuesday in Yakima.

Henricksen singled out for criticism Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Pasco, and others for not acting on a solution in the House.

The report also says there would be a $10.4 billion cumulative increase in the earnings of immigrants in the state over the next 10 years, which would result in an additional $1.3 billion in state and local tax collections over the same time period.

The report also cites a recent study from Harvard Medical School that found immigrants have already added a net of $115.2 billion through their taxable wages to the nation’s Medicare system from 2002 to 2009. Over the next 36 years, the report says immigration reform would lead to $1.2 trillion in contributions to the Social Security system.

According to the Congressional Budget Office, the Senate’s immigration reform proposal would add $450 billion in federal tax revenues alone over the next 10 years. A report released in July by the Washington, D.C., nonprofit Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy said undocumented immigrants paid $292 million in state and local taxes in Washington in 2010, ranking 10th in the nation.

In stating their case for comprehensive immigration reform, both Henricksen and Washington Grower’s League executive director Mike Gempler of Yakima said it’s imperative an agreement is reached in both houses of Congress sometime this fall.

“If we don’t act now, it will likely be 10 years before something is done,” Gempler said. “And we will pay a price. My industry, agriculture, will pay a price.”

Twenty-two House Republicans have come out in favor of a pathway to citizenship, which the Senate proposal would grant to about 11 million undocumented immigrants currently in the country through a 13-year process. Rep. Dave Reichert, a Republican, whose district includes Ellensburg and Wenatchee, announced last week he supports citizenship for the undocumented.

Hastings hasn’t publicly stated his position on a pathway to citizenship as outlined in the Senate proposal, but Gempler and Henricksen said they believe he is opposed to it.

“I don’t think he’s supporting comprehensive immigration reform; I think he supports some facets,” Gempler said.

The Yakima Herald-Republic has made numerous requests this year for clarity on Hastings’ position on a pathway to citizenship, but his spokesman said the congressman doesn’t yet plan to comment on that aspect of the Senate proposal.

“In terms of a pathway to citizenship, (Hastings) hasn’t said one way or another what he supports and we’re just leaving it at that right now,” Hastings spokesman Neal Kirby said in a telephone interview from Washington, D.C., on Tuesday.

In a follow-up email, Kirby said Hastings is open to all proposals currently on the table, but added that the congressman has long opposed the idea of an automatic path to citizenship.

“Those seeking legal status must be held accountable for their actions — they must be required to go to the end of the line, pass background checks, learn English, and pay back taxes and significant penalties for breaking the law,” Kirby said in the email.

Under the Senate proposal, immigrants would have to pay $2,000 in fines plus hundreds more in fees and outstanding taxes. No one with a felony conviction or more than three misdemeanors would be eligible, and no one who entered the country after Dec. 31, 2011, could apply. Immigrants would also have to show they’re learning English to be eligible.

Kirby said Hastings supports “complete immigration reform,” including legislation that strengthens border security, puts an end to illegal immigration and creates a more efficient and less bureaucratic guest worker program. Kirby cited another statistic from the Congressional Budget Office report that says the Senate bill would only reduce illegal immigration by 30 to 50 percent.

Gempler said he understands opponents’ concerns about the fairness of a pathway to citizenship for the undocumented, but that the current immigration system isn’t fair to workers or employers in need of labor.

“Many don’t have a way to come here legally,” Gempler said. “You have to be fairly lucky to be eligible for one of these programs we have now.”

There were approximately 230,000 undocumented immigrants living in Washington state in 2010, according to the Pew Hispanic Center.

Henricksen said it’s time for the Republican leadership in the U.S. House to discuss the issue candidly and work toward passage of reform.

“We’ve elected people to take charge and make decisions,” she said. “That hasn’t been happening rapidly in Washington for quite some time.”


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