Supporting the goals and ideals of Immigrant Heritage Month.

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1331 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1331

      Supporting the goals and ideals of Immigrant Heritage Month.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 28, 2024

 Ms. Barragan (for herself, Ms. Norton, Ms. Jackson Lee, Mr. Cleaver, 
Mr. Lieu, Ms. Lee of California, Mr. Carson, Mr. Espaillat, Mr. Torres 
 of New York, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Mrs. Ramirez, Ms. Clarke of New 
York, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Thanedar, Mr. Vargas, Ms. Williams of Georgia, 
 Mrs. Napolitano, Ms. Salinas, Mr. McGovern, Ms. Garcia of Texas, Mrs. 
  Hayes, Mr. Soto, Mr. Cardenas, Mr. Menendez, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, Mr. 
Takano, Mr. Aguilar, and Mr. Robert Garcia of California) submitted the 
   following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the 
                               Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
      Supporting the goals and ideals of Immigrant Heritage Month.

Whereas Immigrant Heritage Month aims to honor and recognize the diverse and 
        vibrant cultures and contributions of immigrants to America;
Whereas the designation of Immigrant Heritage Month began in 2014, when former 
        President Barack Obama issued a Presidential proclamation establishing 
        June as National Immigrant Heritage Month;
Whereas immigrants, whether undocumented, in a mixed status family, or 
        naturalized, have made significant contributions to the American fabric, 
        in culture, politics, democracy, the economy, businesses creation, 
        technology development, and work as day laborers and essential workers, 
        engineers, scientists, innovators, farmworkers, teachers, health care 
        professionals, and more;
Whereas the American Immigration Council has found that immigrants and 
        undocumented households earned $1.9 trillion in 2021, paid $524.7 
        billion in Federal, State, and local taxes, and have $1.4 trillion in 
        spending power;
Whereas the American Immigration Council has found that, in 2021, immigrants 
        made up one in five, or 20 percent, of entrepreneurs in the country and 
        generated $95.6 trillion in business income;
Whereas the American Immigration Council has found that the number of immigrant 
        entrepreneurs rose 11.5 percent between 2016 and 2021, from 3.1 million 
        to 3.5 million;
Whereas FWD.us estimates that undocumented immigrants make up nearly a quarter 
        of all immigrants living in the United States, contribute an estimated 
        $227 billion annually to the United States economy, and make up 34 
        percent of all farming, 13 percent of all building and grounds 
        maintenance, 13 percent of all construction, 7 percent of all food 
        preparation and service, and 7 percent of all manufacturing and 
        production jobs;
Whereas the United States agricultural sector relies heavily on immigrant labor;
Whereas undocumented immigrants make up a significant portion of the workforce, 
        performing labor-intensive tasks that are critical for food production 
        and supply;
Whereas an analysis by FWD.us has found that Temporary Protected Status-eligible 
        (TPS) individuals contribute nearly $31 billion annually to the United 
        States economy, and 380,000 TPS-eligible individuals in the labor force 
        are working in industries with persistent labor shortages;
Whereas an analysis by FWD.us has found that 440,000 Deferred Action for 
        Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients are in the United States labor 
        force and employed in essential industries such as health care, 
        education, and STEM occupations, contributing billions to the United 
        States economy each year;
Whereas, according to the Immigrant Learning Center, there are approximately 
        45,000 noncitizens in the military, with 5,000 Lawful Permanent 
        Residents enlisting every year;
Whereas FWD.us estimates there are an estimated 700,000 living foreign-born 
        veterans of the United States Armed Forces;
Whereas noncitizen soldiers have served with great distinction, with immigrant 
        service members accounting for 20 percent of all individuals who have 
        been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor;
Whereas, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2021 American Community Survey 
        (ACS) and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), almost 2.8 million 
        immigrants were employed as health care workers in 2021, accounting for 
        more than 18 percent of people in the United States in a health care 
        occupation, including 26 percent of physicians and surgeons and 40 
        percent of home health aides;
Whereas a report by the Migration Policy Institute has found the global COVID-19 
        pandemic disproportionately impacted immigrant communities, who were on 
        the frontline as essential workers, including 48 percent of farmworkers, 
        39 percent of food processing workers, 38 percent of home care aides and 
        29 percent of physicians, yet immigrants were excluded from the majority 
        of related relief due to their immigration status;
Whereas FWD.us estimates at least 1.1 million workers recently admitted to the 
        United States through humanitarian parole are working in industries with 
        labor shortages, accounting for as much as a third of the reduction in 
        labor shortages seen in recent months;
Whereas immigrants contribute to the rich cultural diversity of the United 
        States, bringing unique traditions, languages, and cuisines that enhance 
        American culture and community life; and
Whereas, despite these countless contributions in the face of immense adversity, 
        immigrants and undocumented immigrants continue to be attacked, and it 
        is critical to increase awareness of immigrant and undocumented 
        immigrant contributions, dating back to the founding of the United 
        States: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) calls on elected officials, faith leaders, and civil 
        society leaders to condemn and counter all acts of anti-
        immigrant rhetoric;
            (2) calls on the executive branch and State and local 
        leaders to educate the public on the contributions of immigrant 
        and undocumented communities and uplift their voices;
            (3) urges that all possible steps be taken to ensure the 
        safety and security of immigrant and undocumented communities;
            (4) calls on educators and administrators to combat anti-
        immigrant rhetoric in academic settings; and
            (5) calls on Congress and the executive branch to use their 
        full authority to protect, safeguard, and create pathways for 
        citizenship for the long-term undocumented population.
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