[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 120 (Tuesday, June 30, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4041-S4042]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 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

  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:

                              S. Res. 639

       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;


[[Page S4042]]


       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.

                          ____________________