Karina Ayala-Bermejo and Raul Raymundo: Stop the political theater and fix the broken immigration system
The strength of our nation is in the diversity of its people.
The greatness of this nation will further be elevated by fixing the immigration system that has been broken for too long. President Donald Trump's latest executive order threatening to withhold funds from sanctuary cities and states while escalating the rhetoric on deportations without due process is simply un-American.
It is time for this nation to be reminded of the contributions of immigrants from the early European settlers to the newest waves of immigrants making powerful contributions to this country. Congress needs to accept that immigrants today build our cities, spend money in our economies and pay taxes into our public coffers — but don't even receive all the benefits for doing so, making them givers rather than takers or criminals.
It's undeniable immigrants, regardless of their immigration status, are part of our economy and social fabric. Often, they're the anchors of our family values.
Our president is bragging about how he 'alone' has fixed the border crisis. We took him at his word, and now he needs to fix the broken immigration system and stop weaponizing immigrants to stir up divisions. Threatening to wipe out federal funding for welcoming states or cities is nothing more than overreach from the federal government.
Take for example Illinois, led by Gov. JB Pritzker, one of the governors set to testify June 12 in front of Congress. This will be yet another trip on the merry-go-round of political theater in Washington. Just over two months ago, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson appeared on a panel of mayors before the House of Representatives and boldly defended a sanctuary policy that has been on the books for decades. This hearing only resulted in both sides seeking a viral moment and scoring political points.
The reality is Illinois' welcoming status defines the character of our state: bipartisan and deeply rooted in an understanding of how to keep our people safe and our economy strong.
Pritzker is protecting the 40-year legacy of sanctuary status in Illinois that started in 1985 when Mayor Harold Washington signed an executive order making Chicago a 'sanctuary city' and deepened in 2017 when Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner signed the TRUST Act, which solidified Illinois' status as a welcoming state where law enforcement focuses on solving crimes instead of mass deportations. Research shows that welcoming cities and states contribute greatly to public safety.
The contributions of immigrants are embedded in the fabric of our state's past, our present and our future. We believe this to be true for the country as whole.
More than 18% of Illinois' workforce was born outside the United States — with most coming from Mexico, India, Poland, the Philippines and China. More than 18% of recent homebuyers in Illinois were born outside the U.S. More than 27% of entrepreneurs in Illinois were born outside the United States, making them the founders of new businesses that are the main driver of job growth in this country.
Latinos specifically make up the highest percentage of the state's workforce among all racial and ethnic groups and contribute $100 billion annually to the state's economic output.
We believe Congress and the president understand the contributions of immigrants; however, at the moment, they have been more interested in scapegoating immigrants than finding real solutions.
There are indications that Republicans in Congress and the White House recognize this. Just recently, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Trump both acknowledged that they're working to ease immigration restrictions for farm laborers — given that 40% of crop workers are unauthorized and their absence could result in a $30 billion plunge in production, making them essential to the stability of the agricultural industry. The president's plan would also ease immigration restrictions for the hospitality industry.
We know that lasting solutions will not come from scapegoating immigrants. These individuals care for our young and elderly, help put food on the table, build and clean our homes. They are also students, teachers, firefighters, police officers, military veterans, business owners and entrepreneurs. In short, they are our neighbors and Americans who don't have the right piece of paper but are legally entitled to due process and an opportunity to strengthen the economy and the fabric of our nation. Let's stop with the political theater and instead use this upcoming hearing to focus on real solutions to continue the greatness of this nation.
After all, it is un-American to dim the torch that soars above the Statue of Liberty that has welcomed immigrants since this nation's founding.
Karina Ayala-Bermejo is president and CEO of Instituto del Progreso Latino and an Illinois Latino Agenda member. Raul Raymundo is the CEO of The Resurrection Project and an Illinois Latino Agenda member.
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