Following the White House’s announcement of a sweeping bill that would overhaul the current immigration system for millions, a broad coalition of New England businesses, higher education and political leaders gathered to discuss the advancement of immigration reform measures on Friday, Feb. 19.
Harvard University President Lawrence Bacow and Exelon Chairman Emeritus John Rowe were among the dozens of speakers to attend the New England Business Immigration Summit. The event, cohosted by the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, aimed to emphasize the importance of passing federal and state immigration initiatives for economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
The summit highlighted solutions like increasing the number of employment visas issued and creating a path to legalization and citizenship for 11 million undocumented workers, starting with Dreamers, Temporary Protect Status holders, and essential workers.
The digital event started with remarks from Rebecca Shi, executive director of the American Business Immigration Coalition, on the role of immigrants in maintaining society’s continuity during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Over 70% of immigrants work in an essential sector. They contribute to $1 trillion in GDP and $340 billion in taxes each year,” Shi said, urging for bipartisan solutions like a gateway to citizenship for essential workers and the Farmworker Modernization Act.
Sen. Argus King said that immigrants will continue to serve an essential role as the nation begins to rebuild from the pandemic’s economic devastation. He anticipates that business owners will soon face a labor shortage. “Welcoming immigrants, along with their new ideas and inspirations, will help fill these positions and benefit our society in the process,” King said. “America is a nation built on immigration, and we would not have the strengths that we have today without the historic contributions of immigrants to our society and our economy.”
In Maine, the need to fill employment stretches back pre-pandemic to policies passed by former President Donald Trump, namely the slashing of refugee admissions to the United States. The Trump administration announced in October of 2020 that it would cap the number of refugees allowed at a record low of 15,000. Earlier that year in March, Trump also proceeded to halt refugee admissions amidst the pandemic with the intent of protecting domestic employment.
These cuts in the number of refugees and immigrants have made it much more difficult for businesses to remain competitive and expand, David Barber, an executive of the Maine-based Barber and Tyson Foods said during the summit. “Before the pandemic, Maine’s unemployment rate was below 4% for years, now it’s back up to 4.7%,” he said. “Businesses in Maine do not have enough people to fill all their jobs. Without immigration, Maine would have had a net population loss from 2010 to 2016.”
President Joe Biden has vowed to replace Trump’s ceiling of 15,000 refugee arrivals with 62,500 admissions. Through an executive order signed on Feb. 4, Biden also agreed to create more efficiency and transparency within the vetting process of refugee applications.
Eva Millona, co-chair of the Massachusetts Business Immigration Coalition and President and CEO of MIRA, stated that a more streamlined immigrant policy would have benefits across multiple industries. “The United States has the opportunity to advance a 21st-century immigration policy that benefits business and the economy, keeps families together, protects essential workers, reestablishes our prominent role on the world stage, and reflects the values of who we are as a nation,” Millona said.
University presidents followed in calling for a revision to outdated immigration laws. Among the issues that need urgent addressing are visa delays and restrictions as well as a lack of opportunities for international students seeking work post-graduation, said Harvard University President Lawrence Bacow. Resultatively, colleges have seen declining enrollment from international students.
“After an unprecedented period of hostility towards immigrants, towards refugees, we’re at a critical turning point,” Bacow said. “We need Congress to pass legislation to put the undocumented on a path to citizenship and to win back international students and scholars to avoid lasting damage to our national competitiveness, security, and prosperity.”
The president of Colby College, David A. Greene echoed the relationship between immigration policy and future innovation. “It is essential that we not only attract talented individuals from across the globe to our universities but that we have a clear set of incentives to benefit from the talents and productivity of these individuals when they graduate. We need to keep them here,” he said.
Bacow emphasized the urgency of our current political moment. “We’re at a critical turning point,” he said. “We’re saddled with immigration laws that have not been revised in 30 years.”
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