[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 110 (Thursday, June 24, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4786-S4787]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SENATE RESOLUTION 294--RECOGNIZING THE MONTH OF JUNE 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, PROSPEROUS COUNTRY, AND 
 ACKNOWLEDGING THE IMPORTANCE OF IMMIGRANTS AND THEIR CHILDREN TO THE 
                 FUTURE SUCCESSES OF THE UNITED STATES

  Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself, Ms. Cortez Masto, Ms. Warren, Ms. 
Duckworth, Mr. Padilla, Mr. Lujan, and Ms. Hirono) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the 
Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 294

       Whereas the United States is stronger when all individuals 
     have the opportunity to live up to their full potential;
       Whereas about 15 percent of health care workers in the 
     United States are immigrants, including (in order of highest 
     percentage of health care workers who are foreign born)--
       (1) 29 percent of physicians;
       (2) 25 percent of nursing, psychiatric, and home health 
     aides;
       (3) 24 percent of dentists;
       (4) 20 percent of pharmacists;
       (5) 19 percent of dental assistants;
       (6) 15 percent of medical assistants;
       (7) 15 percent of registered nurses;
       (8) 15 percent of licensed practical and licensed 
     vocational nurses;
       (9) 12 percent of dieticians and nutritionists; and
       (10) 12 percent of optometrists;
       Whereas immigrants working in a health care occupation 
     range from those granted temporary protected status under 
     section 244 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
     1254a) or 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'') to naturalized 
     United States citizens;
       Whereas more than 12 percent of such immigrants (310,000 
     individuals) are humanitarian migrants, including refugees, 
     asylees, special immigrant visa holders, and Cuban and 
     Haitian entrants;
       Whereas 50,000 DACA recipients perform critical roles in 
     the health care industry;
       Whereas immigrants working in health care professions serve 
     throughout the United States, and often in rural or 
     underserved communities;
       Whereas the medical students, residents, and physicians who 
     rely on DACA for their ability to practice medicine provide 
     medical care to approximately 4,600 patients a year;
       Whereas immigrants have filled approximately \1/3\ of 
     physician roles in the United States each year for the 10 
     years prior to 2021;
       Whereas the Association of American Medical Colleges 
     attested to the Supreme Court that the health care system of 
     the United States relies on immigrant health care providers;
       Whereas, in response to COVID-19, immigrants are putting 
     their own lives on the line to save lives every day, working 
     as diagnostic and treatment practitioners, physician 
     assistants, physicians, nurses, health aides, nursing 
     assistants and orderlies, health care support workers, 
     medical students and residents, and health technologists and 
     technicians;
       Whereas more than 5,200,000 undocumented immigrants, 
     including more than \1/2\ of all DACA recipients (400,000 
     individuals) and the majority of Temporary Protected Status 
     holders (more than 220,000 individuals) are considered 
     essential critical infrastructure workers;
       Whereas immigrant essential workers, including first-
     responders, health care workers, agricultural workers and 
     meat packers, child care providers, and hospitality and 
     transportation workers, have heroically helped provide 
     medical care, food, shelter, and comfort to the people of the 
     United States impacted by COVID-19;
       Whereas undocumented immigrants alone contribute an 
     estimated $228,000,000,000 of spending power annually to the 
     United States economy, after the payment of $49,000,000,000 
     of combined Federal, State, and local taxes each year;
       Whereas the majority of farm workers in the United States 
     are immigrants, and regardless of politics, have been deemed 
     ``essential workers'' in order 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 on the line to 
     protect the ideals of the United States and democracy, as 
     well as lives of the people of 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 with the International Security 
     Assistance Force;
       Whereas immigrants who serve in emerging industries with 
     pronounced labor shortages in the United States, such as 
     artificial intelligence, that rely on science, technology, 
     engineering, and mathematics (referred to in this preamble as 
     ``STEM'') skills, not only bolster the economy but also 
     enhance national security and global leadership;
       Whereas when immigrants have a trusting relationship with 
     local law enforcement, they have reported crime and have 
     worked with police on neighborhood crime reduction 
     strategies;
       Whereas more immigrants reside in the United States than 
     any other country in the world and represent almost every 
     country in the world, contributing to the rich diversity in 
     the United States of people, cultures, cuisine, literature, 
     art, language, academia, music, media, fashion, and customs;
       Whereas the United States is more diverse than ever before 
     in its history, with greater shares of immigrants from 
     countries such as India, China (including those born in Hong 
     Kong and Macao, but not Taiwan), the Philippines, El 
     Salvador, Vietnam, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, South Korea, 
     and Guatemala, and an increase of 79 percent since 2000 of 
     Black immigrants from across the African continent, the 
     Caribbean, Jamaica, and Haiti;
       Whereas Black immigrants and their children make up roughly 
     \1/5\ of the overall Black population in the United States 
     (18 percent);
       Whereas in response to recent civil unrest in the United 
     States, immigrants of all backgrounds have pledged their 
     support to fight racial injustice, hand-in-hand with Black 
     immigrants, to fight for accountability from law enforcement 
     and the criminal justice system and to demand that law 
     enforcement protect people, regardless of their skin color;
       Whereas celebrating the 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 only accounting for 13.7 percent (nearly 
     45,000,000 people) of the total population of the United 
     States, more than 40 percent of Fortune 500 companies were 
     founded by immigrants or their children, which has created 
     $4,200,000,000,000 in annual revenue and employ millions of 
     people of the United States;
       Whereas 64.5 percent of immigrants aged 16 and older were 
     employed, as opposed to 60.0 percent of native-born people of 
     the United States;
       Whereas immigrants are entrepreneurial, self-starters who 
     create their own opportunity and employment opportunities for 
     others, with 11.8 percent of employed immigrants being self-
     employed compared to 8.9 percent of employed, native-born 
     people of the United States;
       Whereas immigrant-owned businesses provide jobs across the 
     United States, creating

[[Page S4787]]

     more jobs through entrepreneurial activity than they fill;
       Whereas immigrants are more likely to have advanced degrees 
     than native-born people of the United States;
       Whereas the high-skilled immigration system of the United 
     States has not been updated in more than 25 years and is now 
     outdated and overburdened, putting 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, quantum, robotics, 
     directed energy, and hypersonic weapons, which are all STEM 
     fields where immigrants fill dangerous labor shortages in the 
     United States;
       Whereas due to population aging and longer life expectancy 
     of the population in the United States requiring an increase 
     in health care workers, immigrants are expected to fill a 
     crucial need in the future health care of the United States, 
     keeping the people of the United States healthy;
       Whereas in just 20 years, meaningful immigration policy 
     reform could reduce the Federal deficit by approximately 
     $1,000,000,000,000, contributing to greater economic 
     stability and safety;
       Whereas over the course of the next decade, immigration 
     policy reform would result in the creation of 3,230,000 new 
     jobs, keeping the United States more economically sound;
       Whereas future population growth in the United States will 
     require increased immigration, and by increasing immigration 
     substantially, will keep the United States economically 
     competitive with China and other global economies, and reduce 
     future fiscal imbalances for popular programs like programs 
     under the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 301 et seq.); and
       Whereas continued integration of immigrants from around the 
     world that encourages and facilitates a pathway to 
     citizenship, economic and social mobility, and civic 
     engagement, will perpetuate the prosperity of the United 
     States and reinforce the patriotism all people of the United 
     States feel for the United States, no matter the color of 
     skin, country of origin, or religious background of the 
     person: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes June 2021 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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