Dignity Act Will Bring Trillions in Economic Growth

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A new report by the Bipartisan Policy Center calculates the economic benefits of clearing the green card backlogs to be in the trillions of dollars. Specifically, the Green Light to Growth report predicts clearing this backlog would increase U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) by $3.9 trillion over 10 years.

H.R. 3599, the Dignity Act, is directly mentioned in this report as one of the primary proposals to address this backlog. This well-sourced report demonstrates the economic need to fix our legal immigration system and pass reforms such as the Dignity Act now.

“If the U.S. economy does not grow, the American Dream dies,” said Rep. Salazar. “We must ensure the next generation is better off than the current one, and immigration reform is an opportunity to fix our broken system while growing our economy.”

The Dignity Act will have substantially greater economic benefits than those outlined in the report, as it addresses other broken parts of our immigration system not included in this analysis.

The Dignity Act, introduced by Congresswoman Salazar and Veronica Escobar (TX), is the only major bipartisan immigration bill in Congress. It is an immigration bill, a national security bill, and an economic bill.

The bill has gained major momentum recently, with over 25 Members of Congress cosponsoring it and endorsements/support from 50+ stakeholders.

Cosponsors (27): *María Salazar (FL), *Veronica Escobar (TX), *Jenniffer González Colon (PR), *Hillary Scholten (MI), *Lori Chavez-DeRemer (OR), *Kathy Manning (NC), *Michael Lawler (NY), *Adriano Espaillat (NY), John Duarte (CA), Susan Wild (PA), Mario Díaz-Balart (FL), Susie Lee (NV), David Valadao (CA), Daren Soto (FL), Dan Newhouse (WA), Colin Allred (TX), Abigail Spanberger (VA), Jake Auchincloss (MA), Mike Levin (CA), Marilyn Strickland (WA), Matt Cartwright (PA), Brian Fitzpatrick (PA), Dean Phillips (MI), Chris Pappas (NH), Elissa Slotkin (MI), Pat Ryan (NY), Joe Courtney (CT), and Lori Trahan (MA).

The following organizations have weighed in with endorsements, statements of support, and/or positive comments about the Dignity Act:

Organizations (50+): Agriculture Workforce Coalition, Alliance for a New Immigration Consensus (ANIC), American Action Forum, American Business Immigration Coalition, American Families United, American Immigration Lawyers Association, American Podiatric Medical Association, American Senior Housing Association, Americans for Prosperity, BDV Solutions, Behring Co., Bipartisan Policy Center, Brick Industry Association, Business Roundtable, Catholic Charities USA, Chris Coons, U.S. Senator (D-DE), Cleaning Coalition of America, Essential Worker Immigration Coalition, Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, Florida Farm Bureau Federation, Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association, Florida Tomato Exchange, FWD.us, Hispanic Leadership Fund, Ideaspace, Immigration Hub, Improve the Dream, Invest in the USA (IIUSA), Ken Salazar, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, LIBRE Initiative, Mason Contractors Association of America, National Association of Evangelicals, NAFSA: Association of International Educators, National Association of Landscape Professionals, National Immigration Forum, National Latino Evangelical Coalition, National Retail Federation (NRF), Niskanen Center, Outdoor Amusement Business Association (OABA), Power & Communication Contractors Association, Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans, Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida, TechNet, TESOL International Association, Texas Border Coalition, Texas Impact, The Legal Immigration and Border Enforcement Reform this Year (LIBERTY) Campaign, UnidosUS, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), U.S. Hispanic Business Council, U.S. Travel Association, and World Relief.

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