118 HRES 1331 IH: Supporting the goals and ideals of Immigrant Heritage Month. U.S. House of Representatives 2024-06-28 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

IV118th CONGRESS2d SessionH. RES. 1331IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVESJune 28, 2024Ms. Barragán (for herself, Ms. Norton, Ms. Jackson Lee, Mr. Cleaver, Mr. Lieu, Ms. Lee of California, Mr. Carson, Mr. Espaillat, Mr. Torres of New York, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Mrs. Ramirez, Ms. Clarke of New York, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Thanedar, Mr. Vargas, Ms. Williams of Georgia, Mrs. Napolitano, Ms. Salinas, Mr. McGovern, Ms. Garcia of Texas, Mrs. Hayes, Mr. Soto, Mr. Cárdenas, Mr. Menendez, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, Mr. Takano, Mr. Aguilar, and Mr. Robert Garcia of California) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the JudiciaryRESOLUTIONSupporting the goals and ideals of Immigrant Heritage Month.

Whereas Immigrant Heritage Month aims to honor and recognize the diverse and vibrant cultures and contributions of immigrants to America;Whereas the designation of Immigrant Heritage Month began in 2014, when former President Barack Obama issued a Presidential proclamation establishing June as National Immigrant Heritage Month;Whereas immigrants, whether undocumented, in a mixed status family, or naturalized, have made significant contributions to the American fabric, in culture, politics, democracy, the economy, businesses creation, technology development, and work as day laborers and essential workers, engineers, scientists, innovators, farmworkers, teachers, health care professionals, and more;Whereas the American Immigration Council has found that immigrants and undocumented households earned $1.9 trillion in 2021, paid $524.7 billion in Federal, State, and local taxes, and have $1.4 trillion in spending power;Whereas the American Immigration Council has found that, in 2021, immigrants made up one in five, or 20 percent, of entrepreneurs in the country and generated $95.6 trillion in business income;Whereas the American Immigration Council has found that the number of immigrant entrepreneurs rose 11.5 percent between 2016 and 2021, from 3.1 million to 3.5 million;Whereas FWD.us estimates that undocumented immigrants make up nearly a quarter of all immigrants living in the United States, contribute an estimated $227 billion annually to the United States economy, and make up 34 percent of all farming, 13 percent of all building and grounds maintenance, 13 percent of all construction, 7 percent of all food preparation and service, and 7 percent of all manufacturing and production jobs;Whereas the United States agricultural sector relies heavily on immigrant labor;Whereas undocumented immigrants make up a significant portion of the workforce, performing labor-intensive tasks that are critical for food production and supply;Whereas an analysis by FWD.us has found that Temporary Protected Status-eligible (TPS) individuals contribute nearly $31 billion annually to the United States economy, and 380,000 TPS-eligible individuals in the labor force are working in industries with persistent labor shortages;Whereas an analysis by FWD.us has found that 440,000 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients are in the United States labor force and employed in essential industries such as health care, education, and STEM occupations, contributing billions to the United States economy each year;Whereas, according to the Immigrant Learning Center, there are approximately 45,000 noncitizens in the military, with 5,000 Lawful Permanent Residents enlisting every year;Whereas FWD.us estimates there are an estimated 700,000 living foreign-born veterans of the United States Armed Forces;Whereas noncitizen soldiers have served with great distinction, with immigrant service members accounting for 20 percent of all individuals who have been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor;Whereas, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2021 American Community Survey (ACS) and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), almost 2.8 million immigrants were employed as health care workers in 2021, accounting for more than 18 percent of people in the United States in a health care occupation, including 26 percent of physicians and surgeons and 40 percent of home health aides;Whereas a report by the Migration Policy Institute has found the global COVID–19 pandemic disproportionately impacted immigrant communities, who were on the frontline as essential workers, including 48 percent of farmworkers, 39 percent of food processing workers, 38 percent of home care aides and 29 percent of physicians, yet immigrants were excluded from the majority of related relief due to their immigration status;Whereas FWD.us estimates at least 1.1 million workers recently admitted to the United States through humanitarian parole are working in industries with labor shortages, accounting for as much as a third of the reduction in labor shortages seen in recent months;Whereas immigrants contribute to the rich cultural diversity of the United States, bringing unique traditions, languages, and cuisines that enhance American culture and community life; andWhereas, despite these countless contributions in the face of immense adversity, immigrants and undocumented immigrants continue to be attacked, and it is critical to increase awareness of immigrant and undocumented immigrant contributions, dating back to the founding of the United States: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives—(1)calls on elected officials, faith leaders, and civil society leaders to condemn and counter all acts of anti-immigrant rhetoric;(2)calls on the executive branch and State and local leaders to educate the public on the contributions of immigrant and undocumented communities and uplift their voices;(3)urges that all possible steps be taken to ensure the safety and security of immigrant and undocumented communities; (4)calls on educators and administrators to combat anti-immigrant rhetoric in academic settings; and(5)calls on Congress and the executive branch to use their full authority to protect, safeguard, and create pathways for citizenship for the long-term undocumented population.