Local CEOs appeal to Florida lawmakers for immigration reform | Opinion

As a former Cuban refugee and businesswoman, I have witnessed the very positive economic, social and cultural contributions that immigrants make to our state and country.

Seventy-four Florida CEOs, including me, recently wrote to Florida members of Congress to ask them to actively support a path to permanence for DREAMers, TPS holders, farmworkers and essential workers. If Congress approves this path, immigrants will be able to fully contribute to our economic prosperity as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Among the CEOs were business legends Mike Fernandez, Tony Argiz, Paul DiMare, Al Cardenas, and Paul Cejas, who highlighted how immigrants contribute to the economy.

Together with the bipartisan American Business Immigration Coalition (ABIC) and the IMPAC FUND, we dispatched our message to congressional lawmakers as the Senate Parliamentarian weighs whether or not immigration reforms that provide pathways to citizenship for DACA recipients, TPS holders, undocumented farmworkers and essential workers can be included in the upcoming budget reconciliation process.

Immigrants have kept our economy afloat throughout the pandemic by working in healthcare, agriculture, restaurants, grocery stores, as first responders, and as childcare and senior care providers. Immigrants pay $9.1 billion in state and local taxes annually and another $24.1 billion in federal taxes. Orlando Haitian American Chamber of Commerce Chairman Idler Bonhomme, who also signed the letter, underlined that immigrants have been working, paying taxes and contributing to business for more than 20 years.

The U.S. economy is not a zero-sum game, and entrepreneurial immigrants grow it by creating jobs. A Miami-Dade County report affirms that, in 2019, 145,100 immigrant entrepreneurs generated $2.9 billion in business income.

According to New American Economy (NAE), the total business income of Florida immigrant entrepreneurs is $8.1 billion. In Florida, 93.7 percent of 68,000 DACA recipients are employed, with a spending power of $1.1 billion, the NAE reports. They pay more than $290 million in local, state and federal taxes annually. If they lose the ability to work legally, our state would lose $1.5 billion in annual GDP.

TPS holders earn more than $1.1 billion in household income and pay nearly $90 million in state and local taxes and another $116.6 million in federal taxes. As stated by Miami-Dade County researchers, immigrants’ $33.9 billion in disposable income has revitalized local businesses.

According to American Progress, undocumented immigrants pay $25.5 billion in state and local taxes and $47.6 billion in federal taxes each year. Their employers also pay $14.3 billion in annual Medicare and Social Security taxes. Imagine what they could contribute to the economy if they had a legal path to citizenship! In fact, it is estimated that, if Congress opens a legal path to citizenship, the economy would increase by at least $121 billion annually.

The hospitality, agricultural and other sectors are experiencing significant labor shortages. A legal pathway for undocumented workers would enable Florida employers to legally access one of the state’s most industrious labor markets. As stated by business leader Paul DiMare, Florida’s agriculture industry is heavily reliant on immigration.

Immigrants make up more than 60% of Florida farmworkers, but the existing legal pathways are not sufficient to supply the necessary labor, so farmers often have to turn to undocumented workers. More than 1 in 4 leisure and hospitality workers in Florida are immigrants, and this important industry needs for them to become citizens. Furthermore, as Americans grow older and millions retire, documented immigrants will fill increasing labor demands.

Florida members of Congress should strongly advocate for immigration reform not only because it makes business and human sense, but also because of political reasons.

A recent poll shows that, if they do not help open their path to citizenship through TPS, half of 90,000 eligible Venezuelan-American voters will not support them. Members of Congress cannot afford to look the other way as some of their colleagues again kill immigration reform.

As of 2020, Hispanics constitute 17% of the state’s total of registered voters – 476,000 more than in 2016, and the majority supports a path to citizenship. Other Florida immigrants do as well.

The message to members of Congress from the CEOs is clear: “Leadership sometimes demands taking tough positions for the right cause. There’s no greater cause than protecting and strengthening Florida’s economy. We call on you to stand up for Florida businesses and our economy by supporting common sense immigration solutions immediately.”

Here’s the list of South Florida business leaders who signed the letter:

Aida Levitan is the president of The Levitan Group. @AidaLevitan

This story was originally published September 18, 2021 at 12:00 AM.