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Immigration reform debate takes shape | News, Sports, Jobs

Immigration reform debate takes shape | News, Sports, Jobs

(The Center Square) — Immigration advocates worry that federal deportation threats from the incoming Trump administration could trigger a series of unintended consequences in Pennsylvania.

There is also support for legislation that could address issues related to the economic strain and criminal activity associated with the influx of immigrants that concern taxpayers in Pennsylvania and beyond.

The House Democratic Policy Committee debated the issue last week as it considered ways to prevent potential fallout from major policy changes. On Election Day, the party won a one-seat majority in the lower chamber, giving it carte blanche to pursue state-level immigration reform that may struggle to find support in the Republican-controlled Senate.

“Unfortunately, there will be detention and deportation of immigrants on the horizon, so it is vital that this legislature not only passes welcoming policies to support immigrants, but also fights against these proposals.” Julio Rodriguez, political director of the Pennsylvania Immigration and Citizenship Coalition, said:

Rodriquez’s comment came just days before President-elect Donald Trump confirmed he is willing to declare a national emergency to begin mass deportations of immigrants who cross the border illegally.

Supporters of the action argue that relaxed rules for immigrants seeking asylum, as well as an unsecured southern border, allow violent criminals, drug traffickers and terrorists to enter the United States undetected.

It also worsens the exploitation and suffering of undocumented immigrants seeking escape from gang violence and economic instability in their home countries; That’s the main talking point for Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senator-elect Dave McCormick.

However, there are other challenges to the state’s economy and public safety, including uncompensated medical care and diverted law enforcement resources; This leaves medical providers and police departments struggling to keep up.

A 2021 report from the Migration Policy Institute found that half of the nearly one million immigrants residing in the state are naturalized citizens. Another 32% were legal permanent residents, while 16% were undocumented and 0.5% were DACA recipients.

Nearly all immigrants working in the state, whether legal or not, pay into the system. Undocumented immigrants in particular are owed $134 million in taxes and are in most cases ineligible for federally funded public assistance benefits.

Rodriguez said the economic power of immigrants goes far beyond expanding the tax base. With spending power of more than $30 billion, he says the state would lose $6.4 billion in gross domestic product if undocumented immigrants in the state left the workforce.

Rodriguez referenced Florida Senate Bill 1718, which prohibits issuing driver’s licenses to applicants who cannot prove legal residence in the United States. Drivers with existing licenses from Connecticut, Delaware, Rhode Island, Vermont or Hawaii face higher restrictions because the laws there do not require the same.

Florida officials say the law targets drug traffickers and other cartel activities and prevents undocumented immigrants from illegally accessing public assistance programs.

Critics, including the American Civil Liberties Union, have called it a “Anti-immigrant bill is comprehensive” This makes it difficult for those with children born in the United States to work. Some studies estimate Florida’s economy will take a $12.6 billion hit.

A Republican-authored House proposal in Pennsylvania would also ban out-of-state driver’s licenses for undocumented immigrants. This is part of a broader immigration reform package that also includes mandating the use of E-Verify for government grant recipients and employment in the meatpacking, food processing and hospitality industries; protection of unaccompanied immigrant children; and take strict action against human traffickers.

Such policies could trigger higher grocery prices, for example, Rodríguez argues, because this would likely reduce the agricultural immigrant labor that farmers rely on.

Some other bills being considered offer a different approach.

Bill 1548 prohibited law enforcement from spending resources on immigration enforcement. Proponents of such legislation say aiding Immigration and Customs Enforcement hinders public safety by distracting officers from their true duties and increasing distrust in the community.

Another proposal aimed at reducing crime, Bill 1371, would help open a path to citizenship through U-visas for victims of violent crime. Supporters say having immigrants cooperate as witnesses for law enforcement has a real impact on drug trafficking and gang violence.

Additional proposals call for creating an Office of New Pennsylvanians and providing more funding for J-1 visas for doctors to work in the state.

Advocates said encouraging immigration is a key piece of the puzzle needed to slow the state’s population decline. Demographic change, according to Kyle Kopko, executive director of the Center for Rural Pennsylvanians “most important issue” We are facing the state.

Less people doesn’t necessarily mean fewer jobs. A shrinking population means a shrinking tax base, economy and congressional representation. It strains essential services like health care, lengthens wait times, and leaves Pennsylvanians across all sectors with little or no provider options.

By the end of the decade, Kopko says seniors will outnumber younger people in 53 of the state’s 67 counties.

Currently, only 60 out of every 100 open jobs in the state are filled. One way to prevent this, he says, is to welcome more immigrants into the state.

Rodriquez said there is also a moral imperative because immigrants come here for three primary reasons: Low wages, climate disasters and civil unrest; It is stated that the USA contributes to all of these through its economic, environmental and foreign policies.

According to the Institute for Economics and Peace, climate change and civil unrest will displace more than a billion people worldwide by 2050.