[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 639 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 639

Recognizing June 2020 as ``Immigrant Heritage Month'', a celebration of 
  the accomplishments and contributions immigrants and their children 
have made in making the United States a healthier, safer, more diverse, 
and prosperous country, and acknowledging the importance of immigrants 
             to the future successes of the United States.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 30, 2020

Mr. Menendez (for himself, Mr. Booker, Ms. Cortez Masto, Ms. Duckworth, 
    Ms. Hirono, Mr. Markey, Ms. Warren, Ms. Harris, and Mr. Cardin) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                            on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Recognizing June 2020 as ``Immigrant Heritage Month'', a celebration of 
  the accomplishments and contributions immigrants and their children 
have made in making the United States a healthier, safer, more diverse, 
and prosperous country, and acknowledging the importance of immigrants 
             to the future successes of the United States.

Whereas the United States is stronger when all individuals have the opportunity 
        to live up to their full potential;
Whereas, in the United States, more than 16 percent of health care workers are 
        immigrants, and foreign-born individuals comprise--

    (1) 29.1 percent of physicians;

    (2) 23.7 percent of dentists;

    (3) 23.1 percent of nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides;

    (4) 20.3 percent of pharmacists;

    (5) 17.4 percent of dieticians and nutritionists;

    (6) 17.3 percent of medical assistants;

    (7) 16.5 percent of dental assistants;

    (8) 16.2 percent of optometrists;

    (9) 16 percent of registered nurses; and

    (10) 15 percent of licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses;

Whereas immigrants working in a health care occupation range from individuals 
        with Temporary Protected Status and individuals who have been granted 
        deferred action pursuant to the memorandum of the Department of Homeland 
        Security entitled `Exercising Prosecutorial Discretion with Respect to 
        Individuals Who Came to the United States as Children' issued on June 
        15, 2012 (referred to in this preamble as `DACA recipients'), to 
        naturalized citizens;
Whereas more than 12 percent of immigrants with Temporary Protected Status or 
        who are DACA recipients, or 310,000 individuals, are humanitarian 
        migrants, including refugees, asylees, special immigrant visa holders, 
        and entrants from Cuba and Haiti;
Whereas 41,700 DACA recipients perform critical roles in the health care 
        industry;
Whereas immigrants working in health care professions serve throughout the 
        United States and often serve in rural or underserved communities;
Whereas each medical student, resident, and physician who relies on being a DACA 
        recipient for the ability to practice medicine provides medical care to 
        an average of between 1,533 and 4,600 patients each year;
Whereas immigrants have filled nearly \1/3\ of physician roles in the United 
        States for a decade;
Whereas the Association of American Medical Colleges attested to the Supreme 
        Court of the United States that the health care system of the United 
        States relies on immigrant health care providers;
Whereas, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, immigrants are putting their own 
        lives at risk to save lives every day by working as diagnosing and 
        treating practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, health aides, 
        nursing assistants and orderlies, health care support workers, medical 
        students and residents, and health technologists and technicians;
Whereas nearly \1/3\ of all DACA recipients, or 200,000 individuals, and more 
        than 130,000 of the estimated 411,000 individuals with Temporary 
        Protected Status, are serving on the frontlines of the response to the 
        COVID-19 pandemic and are considered essential critical infrastructure 
        workers;
Whereas immigrant essential workers, including first responders, health care 
        workers, agricultural workers, meat packers, childcare providers, and 
        hospitality and transportation workers, have heroically helped provide 
        medical care, food, shelter, and comfort to individuals in the United 
        States impacted by COVID-19;
Whereas the majority of farm workers in the United States are immigrants, and, 
        regardless of politics, have been deemed ``essential workers'' by the 
        President of the United States to maintain a safe food supply for the 
        United States during the COVID-19 pandemic;
Whereas immigrants have served in the Armed Forces since the founding of the 
        United States and have fought in every major conflict in the history of 
        the United States, including the Civil War, World Wars I and II, and 
        conflicts in Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq;
Whereas immigrants have put their lives at risk to protect the ideals of the 
        United States and democracy and the lives of individuals in the United 
        States by serving as translators and interpreters for the Armed Forces 
        and performing sensitive and trusted activities for United States 
        military personnel stationed at the International Security Assistance 
        Force;
Whereas immigrants who serve in emerging industries in the United States with 
        pronounced labor shortages that rely on science, technology, 
        engineering, and math (referred to in this preamble as ``STEM'') skills, 
        such as artificial intelligence, bolster the economy and enhance the 
        national security and global leadership of the United States;
Whereas, when immigrants have a trusting relationship with local law enforcement 
        agencies, they report crime and work with police on neighborhood crime 
        reduction strategies;
Whereas more immigrants reside in the United States than any other country in 
        the world, and immigrants in the United States come from almost every 
        country in the world, contributing to the rich diversity of individuals, 
        cultures, cuisine, literature, art, language, academia, music, media, 
        fashion, and customs in the United States;
Whereas the United States is more diverse than ever before in history, evidenced 
        by the fact that--

    (1) an increased percentage of immigrants to the United States have 
come from countries such as India, China (including Hong Kong and Macao but 
not Taiwan), the Philippines, El Salvador, Vietnam, Cuba, the Dominican 
Republic, South Korea, and Guatemala; and

    (2) the number of Black immigrants to the United States from across the 
African continent, the Caribbean, and the Americas has increased by 30 
percent since 2010;

Whereas Black immigrants and their children make up roughly \1/5\, or 18 
        percent, of the overall Black population of the United States;
Whereas, in response to recent civil unrest in the United States, immigrants of 
        all backgrounds have pledged their support to fight hand-in-hand with 
        Black immigrants to--

    (1) fight against racial injustice and for accountability from law 
enforcement agencies and the criminal justice system; and

    (2) demand that law enforcement agencies protect individuals, 
regardless of their skin color;

Whereas celebrating racial, ethnic, linguistic, and religious differences of 
        immigrants has resulted in a unified, patriotic, and prosperous United 
        States;
Whereas immigration has long been one of the greatest competitive advantages of 
        the United States;
Whereas immigrants of all skill levels have helped make the economy of the 
        United States the strongest in the world, complementing existing 
        businesses in the United States in times of need and founding successful 
        businesses of their own;
Whereas, although immigrants account for only 13.7 percent of the total 
        population of the United States, nearly half of Fortune 500 companies 
        were founded by immigrants or their children, and those businesses 
        create more than $6,000,000,000,000 in annual revenue and employ 
        millions of individuals in the United States;
Whereas 72.5 percent of immigrants believe that hard work is necessary to 
        succeed in the United States, and immigrants are responsible for half of 
        the total labor force growth in the United States in the last decade;
Whereas, in the United States in 2019--

    (1) 66 percent of immigrants who were 16 years of age or older were 
employed; and

    (2) 62.5 percent of individuals born in the United States who were 16 
years of age or older were employed;

Whereas immigrants are entrepreneurial self-starters who--

    (1) create their own opportunity and employment opportunities; and

    (2) are more likely to be entrepreneurs than individuals born in the 
United States;

Whereas the high-skilled immigration system of the United States--

    (1) has not been updated in more than 25 years;

    (2) is outdated and overburdened; and

    (3) puts the global leadership of the United States at risk;

Whereas national security experts agree that it is essential for the United 
        States to maintain its military exceptionalism by being the leader in 
        advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, cyber and quantum 
        technologies, robotics, and directed-energy and hypersonic weapons, 
        which are STEM fields in which immigrants fill dangerous labor shortages 
        in the United States;
Whereas, in the future, immigrants in the United States are expected to fill a 
        crucial need for health care workers brought on by an aging population 
        and a longer life expectancy, and, by filling that need, immigrants will 
        keep individuals in the United States healthy;
Whereas meaningful immigration policy reform would reduce the Federal deficit by 
        $1,200,000,000,000 in just 20 years, contributing to greater economic 
        stability and safety;
Whereas, if Dreamers were provided a pathway to citizenship, the cumulative 
        gains for the economy of the United States could be up to 
        $1,000,000,000,000;
Whereas, because immigrants in the United States are more likely to be working-
        age than individuals born in the United States, immigrants are more 
        likely to contribute to the labor force and economy as both consumers 
        and taxpayers, thereby helping to fund social services and programs like 
        Medicare and Social Security and making individuals in the United States 
        healthier, safer, and economically prosperous; and
Whereas the continued integration of immigrants from around the world and 
        encouraging a pathway to citizenship, economic and social mobility, and 
        civic engagement for those immigrants will--

    (1) perpetuate the prosperity of the United States; and

    (2) reinforce the patriotism that the people of the United States feel 
for the United States, no matter their color of skin, country of origin, or 
religious background: Now, therefore, be it

    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) recognizes June 2020 as ``Immigrant Heritage Month'' in 
        honor of the contributions immigrants and their children have 
        made to the United States throughout its history;
            (2) pledges to celebrate immigrant contributions to, and 
        immigrant heritages in, each State;
            (3) welcomes immigrants presently in the United States and 
        individuals seeking to immigrate to the United States to 
        contribute to the health, safety, diversity, and prosperity of 
        the United States by finding their place in the vibrant, 
        multiethnic, and integrated society of the United States;
            (4) encourages the people of the United States to work with 
        their immigrant neighbors and colleagues to advance the current 
        and future well-being of the United States; and
            (5) commits to working with fellow Members of Congress, the 
        executive agencies that administer immigration laws and 
        policies, and the President to promote smart and just 
        immigration policy for immigrants presently in the United 
        States, their families, and individuals seeking to immigrate to 
        the United States in the future.
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