Mayor Walsh, FWD.us, Local Entrepreneurs discuss benefits of President Obama's executive action on immigration
Mayor Martin J. Walsh, Boston-area immigrants, and local business leaders and advocates today discussed the economic and moral benefits of President Obama’s executive action on immigration, while calling on Congress to pass legislative reform without delay. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA) will help an estimated five million immigrants and children of immigrants stay in the United States, continue contributing to our economy and create American jobs.
"I want to make it clear that Boston welcomes and supports immigrants; Boston is a city of immigrants, and a city that’s made stronger by immigrants," said Mayor Walsh. "A complete federal legislative solution on immigration has taken too long and the need is too great. I support President Obama’s executive actions and I call on the courts to lift this order and let these sensible actions be implemented."
According to a study by the Center for American Progress, the DACA/DAPA programs could boost wages for eligible immigrants by $103 billion, as well as drive a $230 billion increase in the nation's gross domestic product over the next 10 years. Additionally, given Massachusetts' current share of the U.S. economy, the Council of Economic Advisers estimates that executive action will increase Massachusetts’s GDP by $2.4 to $5.6 billion over the next decade.
“Americans across the country clearly support immigration reform that grows our economy, creates jobs, and allows millions of hardworking immigrants to come out of the shadows and live free of the fear of family separation,” said Todd Schulte, President of FWD.us. “President Obama’s executive immigration actions are a critical first step to helping end the deportations which tear families and loved ones apart, while costing our economy billions of dollars. We will continue working every day to help pass a permanent legislative solution to finally fix our country’s terribly broken immigration system.”
“As an 11-year-old child, I had little comprehension of the challenges that awaited us when my family and I arrived in the United States,” said Cesar Boc, an aspiring lawyer and a 2012 DACA recipient. “My dream was to work hard, attend school, and live a normal life. Yet, my journey in the United State has been a constant struggle to affirm my dignity as a human being in the midst of hostile and inaccessible immigration laws. DACA has made a considerable difference in my life since I now have a job, a driver’s license, and do not have a fear of deportation.”
“We immigrants are honest, hard-working people who have done everything we can do to be part of this community,” said Perla, a mother of two. “We come here in the pursuit of better opportunities that lead to a better quality life. We've been in the shadows for too long without a voice, and I believe that now is the time to speak out. With the President’s executive actions on immigration reform, now is the time to make change.”
“Highly skilled care workers provide essential services that are necessary to growing Massachusetts and the U.S.’ economy, and they deserve the same protections any professional is entitled to, such as overtime and leave,” said Dave Krupinski, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Care.com, and Boston FWD.us Co-chair. “By allowing these smart, hard-working individuals to continue working in our country and contributing to our economy, we are filling a critical need in our labor pool and growing our nation’s economy, while also helping working families find the care they need.”
A federal district court in Texas has issued an order that temporarily blocks the DAPA and expanded DACA programs from being implemented, preventing millions of immigrant families and thousands of Bostonians access to work authorization and relief from deportation. The ruling does not affect current DACA recipients.
The City of Boston's Office of New Bostonians has launched a “Know the Facts” campaign to make sure the City's residents are aware of their eligibility for these actions. This Saturday, May 30, the Office of New Bostonians will host a clinic on eligibility at the Umana Academy in East Boston. Legal Services and other partners will be on hand to give free one-on-one screenings and consultations.
About FWD.us
FWD.us is an advocacy organization created to help organize the broader tech community to promote a bipartisan policy agenda – including comprehensive immigration reform, education reform, and support for scientific research – that will boost the knowledge economy to ensure more jobs, innovation and investment, now and in the future. You can learn more at www.FWD.us.
