ICYMI: BIDEN ADMINISTRATION REPORT UNDERLINES ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF IMMIGRATION REFORM IN BUILD BACK BETTER AGENDA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 17, 2021
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ICYMI: BIDEN ADMINISTRATION REPORT UNDERLINES ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF IMMIGRATION REFORM IN BUILD BACK BETTER AGENDA

Washington, D.C. — Today, on Citizenship Day, a new report from the Biden-Harris Administration’s Council of Economic Advisors highlighted the robust economic benefits of providing a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants as outlined in the Build Back Better Agenda. The analysis concludes these reforms would result in higher wages, greater productivity and innovation, raise tax revenue, and more. It also highlights the direct budgetary impact of creating a pathway to citizenship and underlines why Congress can and must include this policy as a key component of the Build Back Better Agenda.

Key ways providing a pathway to citizenship would strengthen the American economy: 

• Studies show immigrants who are legalized are more likely to improve language skills, gain additional training and education, and raise their health outcomes — which all contribute to allowing them to be more productive members of the economy and society.
• Research indicates that productivity gains across the board help lead to an increase in wages for legalized immigrants.
• Legalization, a shift in employment from informal to formal sectors, and an expected increase in wages would result in an overall boost in tax revenue.
• The impact of providing a pathway to citizenship would also reach the children of undocumented immigrants, who would be more likely to have parents who are able to secure higher-wage work, which studies show lead to children being more likely to grow up to be higher-earning adults.

Read the full report from the White House Council of Economic Advisors here.