This Week in Immigration

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THIS WEEK IN IMMIGRATION www.immigrationimpact.com

New Estimates of State and Local Taxes Paid by Undocumented Immigrants Undocumented immigrants who live and work in the United States pay billions of dollars in taxes every year to state and local governments. Given the chance to earn legal status, they would pay even more. Those are the simple yet powerful conclusions of a new study by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP). According to ITEP, “undocumented immigrants paid an estimated total of $10.6 billion in state and local taxes in 2010.” Moreover, “allowing undocumented immigrants to work in the United States legally would increase their state and local tax contributions by an estimated $2 billion a year.” In short, legalization pays. DREAMers Push For A Path To Citizenship Ahead of a Wednesday meeting of House Republicans to discuss various options on immigration reform, hundreds of DREAMers—young immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as children—held their own version of a citizenship ceremony and rally yesterday to push for legislation that will provide a roadmap to citizenship for not only themselves but for millions of other undocumented immigrants as well. “We have come today to claim our citizenship,” said United We Dream’s Lorella Praeli. “2013 is not the time for separate but equal. It is not the time for legalization for some and citizenship for others.” White House Report Outlines the Economic Benefits of Immigration Reform As Republicans in the House of Representatives search for a way forward on immigration reform, they should keep in mind a critical point: overhauling the U.S. immigration system would help jump start the sluggish U.S. economy. In other words, any Member of Congress who has expressed a desire to cut the federal budget deficit, create new jobs and businesses, boost wages, and increase U.S. economic output should be for immigration reform—not against it. Conversely, those who stand against reform should carefully consider the price that will be paid by the U.S. economy, and U.S. workers, if reform does not occur. The Civics Lessons Many Undocumented Immigrants Have Already Learned If the Senate’s comprehensive immigration reform bill becomes law, many undocumented immigrants who apply for and become Registered Provisional Immigrants (RPIs) would have to pass an English and civics test before becoming Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs). These tests are administered so New Americans can show their commitment to this country by demonstrating that they speak English and understand the basic tenets of our democracy. TRUST Act Makes Progress in California Just before the Fourth of July, the California Senate Public Safety Committee approved the TRUST Act by a vote of 4-2.. The state Assembly previously passed the measure in May, so now the bill heads to the Senate floor. It is the third version of the California TRUST Act considered by the state legislature, which “would limit who state and local police can hold for deportation.” Gov. Jerry Brown (D) vetoed a previous version of the bill last fall. This Week at the IPC A Guide to S.744: Understanding the 2013 Senate Immigration Bill (Updated to reflect the final version of the bill) You have received this email through your subscription to the American Immigration Council's email list. If you did not subscribe, or would no longer like to receive email updates, unsubscribe here.