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Dozens of the nations mayors are urging Democratic leaders to include a pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants in any economic recovery legislation Congress considers this year.

That includes Democrats forthcoming $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation package a potential legislative vehicle for policy reforms protecting undocumented immigrants who helped the country weather the COVID-19 pandemic, advocates argue.

Scranton Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti and more than 80 other American mayors signed a letter calling for a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers undocumented immigrants brought to the United States illegally as children as well as holders of Temporary Protected Status, essential immigrant workers and their families. The term Dreamers refers to recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, created during President Barack Obamas tenure, which conveys protection from deportation and permission to legally work in the U.S.

Cognetti joined Oakland, California, Mayor Libby Schaaf and Tucson, Arizona, Mayor Regina Romero on a Monday press call, where they made the case for a pathway to citizenship.

We already needed to deliver pathways to citizenship, as a nation, before the COVID-19 pandemic, but now it is even more clear that we need to do this for our country and for these families and these workers, Cognetti said, arguing two-thirds of undocumented workers served on the front lines of the public health crisis. They put their lives on the line during the pandemic, and to continue to threaten them with deportation after all that theyve done for our country is unconscionable.

The mayors letter to President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, all Democrats, notes an estimated 5 million undocumented immigrants work in construction, agriculture, food service and production, transportation, health care and other essential industries.

As our state and local communities continue to confront a public health and economic catastrophe that has claimed more than 500,000 lives and exacerbated deep racial and economic inequities, it is vital that Congress enact protections for Dreamers, TPS holders, and essential immigrant workers to secure the health of our nation and to lay the foundation for an equitable economic recovery for all communities across the country, the letter reads.

Cognetti described immigrants as a key part of the economy, especially in the face of declining birth rates and amid the current workforce shortage, arguing a pathway to citizenship is right for both the countrys economic future and the immigrant families themselves.

Providing the pathway the mayors are pushing for would boost the nations gross domestic product by $1.5 trillion over the course of a decade, add 400,000 jobs and increase wages for all American workers, argued Sergio Gonzales, executive director of the Immigration Hub, a national organization, and the moderator of Mondays press call. Those figures come from a recent study by the Center for American Progress and the University of California Davis Global Migration Center.

Schaaf, whose husband is a Scranton native and whose in-laws live in the city, argued its inhumane to force children and families to live in fear that they or a loved one could be deported.

The mayors call for immigration reform comes after a federal judge in Texas ruled earlier this month that the DACA program is unlawful and blocked the Biden administration from accepting new applicants. The judges ruling, which the Biden administration vowed to appeal, underscores the need for Congress to act now and provide a pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients and others, Gonzales said.

The reconciliation process could allow Congressional Democrats to pass legislation absent any Republican support and without the threat of a Senate GOP filibuster. But whether a pathway to citizenship is ultimately included in Democrats final budget reconciliation bill remains to be seen.

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Cognetti, other mayors call for path to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants, including essential workers - Scranton Times-Tribune

Nine years ago, after immense grassroots pressure, the Obama administration created Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), granting temporary protections and work authorization for hundreds of thousands of young immigrants. I remember that Friday afternoon like it was yesterday. My family was sitting down eating while watching TV, anxiously awaiting President Obamas announcement. When it finally came, my heart exploded with happiness, I couldnt contain my excitement finally some relief for my older brother, my younger sister and me. But soon after, we learned we didnt qualify. Despite arriving in this country at age 11, we needed to have arrived before June 2007 to qualify my siblings and I had arrived 13 months too late. My dreams were shattered. Nearly a decade later, immigrants like me, along with the DACA recipients who did qualify for the program, are still waiting on a path to citizenship.

My siblings and I consider Staten Island, New York, our home. We learned English here, have gone to school here, met our dearest friends here, and work to support our family here. At first, learning English was hard, but we knew it was critical for our future. Our homework was very challenging, but in the evenings we would go over to a neighbors house and she would help us translate and understand our assignments. Each night, we would grab a dictionary and practice looking up words and their meanings. We were determined to get good grades and do well in school.

This year, both my younger sister and I graduated from the College of Staten Island, a milestone for our family. But, while I have my diploma and want to pursue my career in accounting, I cannot because of my immigration status. This is the reality hundreds of thousands of youth currently face, after being left out of DACA, and the millions of undocumented people who have long waited for immigration relief that will put them on a pathway to citizenship.

During the pandemic, our immigrant communities were among the most vulnerable suffering the loss of loved ones while continuing to labor at the frontlines as essential workers. Throughout the pandemic, my mother cleaned houses and I did construction work. We were two of the estimated 5n million essential workers who put our lives on the line to support our communities and sustain our economy.

Now, we are at a critical moment. A Texas federal judge has halted the DACA program, placing a stop on new applications. This leaves the DACA programs future in grave jeopardy and puts hundreds of thousands of young peoples lives at risk.

The Biden administration and Congress must meet the moment and step up. They can do so by ensuring not temporary solutions, but a path to citizenship or DACA recipients, DACA-eligible youth, essential workers, farm workers and more. This month, Senate Democrats announced a federal budget proposal that includes a path to citizenship for immigrants. The President and majorities in both houses should support the package and pass it. And if Republicans try to obstruct, as theyve made clear they will, Democrats who control both chambers should use every means possible to pass the legislation.

For decades, immigrants have relentlessly fought for humane immigration reform that will provide undocumented people a pathway to citizenship. DACA recipients cannot continue living through court decision after court decision, and youth like me deserve permanent protections, too.

We cannot wait any longer, inaction by Congress is not acceptable. All of our eyes are on President Biden, Senator Schumer, and the rest of Congress to deliver a pathway to citizenship that will help boost our countrys economy and bring permanent protections to the millions of undocumented immigrants who consider this country our home.

(Pedro Farfan, of Rosebank, is a youth member of Make the Road New York, the largest grassroots community organization in New York offering services and organizing the immigrant community.)

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With DACA halted, Congress must act for immigrants (opinion) - silive.com

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Gov. Jay Inslee delivered remarks today in Seattle congratulating 60 new U.S. citizens following the 36th Independence Day Naturalization Ceremony, recognizing that they are welcome in Washington and challenging them to be active participants in our democracy. The governor celebrated the occasion with a number of other elected officials, including Sen. Maria Cantwell, Secretary of State Kim Wyman, and Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, as well as Chief Judge Ricardo Martinez and United States Citizenship and Immigration Services District Director Anne Corsano.

The United States has been and will always be the greatest hope in the world as long as we continue to embrace this infusion of hope and spirit and vision and energy that these new citizens now represent, Inslee said.

Separately, the governor delivered aletterto Congressional leadership today calling for comprehensive immigration reform. He urged Congress to use any legislative means necessary, including budget reconciliation. In his letter, Gov. Inslee underscored the troubled history for many immigrants in the United States, who are categorically excluded from nearly all social programs, and unable to safely assert their civil rights all while providing indispensable benefits to our nation. He further stressed that even though Congress and past presidents have undertaken efforts to shape our nations immigration policies, a far broader effort is needed.

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Inslee speaks at naturalization ceremony, calls on Congress to pass immigration reform | Governor Jay Inslee - Governor Jay Inslee

No matter how much some nativists might wish it were so, the United States does not have the authority to force other countries to take back their citizens. Also, for illustrative purposes, let us say it would cost an average of $1,000 per person (transportation to the departure site, housing and food until departure, and the return flight). This basic estimate suggests that the cost could approximately be $10,500,000,000 to remove all undocumented immigrants. An Immigration and Customs Enforcement estimate of the average cost per deportation was $10,854 including all costs necessary to identify, apprehend, detain, process through immigration court, and remove an alien. This estimate accounts for the costs of law enforcement efforts of apprehension and physical removal from the country, and the efforts of the legal system and courts required to remove someone out of the country. Removing all undocumented immigrants would reduce the nations GDP by nearly 6% and substantially decrease the workforce by the number of people removed.

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Yoku Shaw-Taylor: The undocumented and the need for comprehensive immigration reform | COMMENTARY - Capital Gazette

The universal labor crisis in the U.S. could open the door to immigration reform, Alex DiNovo believes.

That was one takeaway during a United Fresh Produce Association Reimagine Conversations virtual event on June 29 that focused on planning for uncertainty and reacting to unexpected changes.The session was moderated by Danny Dumas, president of USA for Montreal-based Courchesne Larose Lte.

Panelists included Mayda Sotomayor-Kirk, CEO of Seald Sweet LLC, Vero Beach, Fla.; and DiNovo, president and chief operating officer of DNO Inc., Columbus, Ohio.

Im really hoping this (tight) labor situation is going to be the vehicle that opens up immigration reform, DiNovo said during the session, noting that employers in many sectors are having difficulty finding workers. It is going to break eventually and (Congress) is going to do something with it, and they will pick it up a lot sooner rather than later.

DiNovo said there is ample justification for immigration reform that would increase the supply of workers.

Why wouldnt you loosen the strings up there on immigration and make it easier to get a labor force into this country? Clearly whats happening right now is not working, he said.

Dumas asked the panel about what the industry should focus onduring what seems to be a never-ending pandemic.

Panelists discussed a variety of issues, including infrastructure, inflation, labor, climate change and political changes in exporting countries.

Fresh produce has always been dynamic and ever-changing, but Sotomayor-Kirk said she thinks changes in weather are more extreme now.

This year, more than any other year, Ive seen so much climate change, she said. Climate change has really changed not only the quality of the fruit and the timing of the fruit theres no predicting anymore.

Other factors that the industry must remain focused on, she said, include labor, food safety and rising input costs.

We want to grow consumption, but we have to do it with a cost-effective product, she said.

DiNovo said the focus should not be on the problems the industry faces, but who the industry will use to solve those problems.

From my perspective, its attracting and retaining the best people that I can get in my company, because I know no matter what the problem is, I need to have really good people in place, he said. And it is not just my company for us as an industry, how do we attract the best talent?

Dumas agreed that the next generation of leaders is critical for the industry.

There is a lot of up-and-coming talent thats in our industry, he said. Its important to have the generation following up, ready to take on these roles in their own way.

DiNovo said COVID-19 disrupted everything and required hustle and adaptation to change something bad into something good.

It was more of a change in terms of our thought processes and how we approach an issue, he said. We dont see it as an issue, we see it as an opportunity.

Despite the use of video meetings since March of last year, Sotomayor-Kirk said the pandemic didnt diminish the importance of face-to-face interactions.

I think that part of what makes us unique in this produce business is the fact that the people are so just salt of the earth, she said. When you really want to talk to someone and look in somebodys eyes, negotiate a deal, or talk about a problem, its much better in person.Dumas said operating with agility has been a big lesson during the pandemic.

It was supposed to be two weeks to stop the spread, here we are a year and a half later, he said. I think the successful companies have that agility and the ability to change the mindset and the way they operate or the way they serve their customers really made a difference.

Dumas asked the panel what tactics and strategies are needed to manage the labor shortages, knowing the issue cant be resolved in the short term.

Sotomayor-Kirk said labor challenges are present not only in the U.S., but also in exporting countries such as Chile, Argentina and Peru.

Incentive programs that raise wages and lead to better productivity are being explored, she said.

Longer term, she said the company will look to automate, when possible, in an effort to keep costs lower.

DiNovo said produce companies need to offer competitive wage benefits and flexibility but also create a sense of mission.

We try to do a good job of focusing on the purpose, the mission, he said.

Focusing on the greater good and purpose behind produce is important, but having a competitive wage package also is required.Truck driver positions are the hardest to fill, followed by warehouse and production line jobs, he said.

Dumas said one tactic some companies use to retain workers is to pay them daily.

Since implementing some of those incentives, weve actually seen an increase in productivity, he said.

Sotomayor-Kirk expressed concern that rising costs of labor and other inputs could hurt consumer demand for fresh produce, although she noted that other foods have experienced inflation as well.

Dumas asked about the infrastructure needs of the industry.People are the biggest factor in getting the job done, Sotomayor-Kirk said.

It is based on getting the right people on board; infrastructure, for us, still revolves around trying to automate and train and give people (the) ability to do better.

DiNovo said it is important for industry operators to lobby with United Fresh Produce Association and others for the infrastructure needs of the industry, including roads, cold storage facilities and other needs.I feel like as an industry, we should get involved to ring that bell a little bit, he said.

Looking to the future, DiNovo predicted more distribution facilities, so freight into each region can be right-sized.

I think thatll be huge into the future, in really smoothing out the supply chain, he said.

Changing political leadership in a variety of Latin American countries is something to watch, Sotomayor-Kirk said, noting difficult elections in Chile and Peru and other disruptions in Honduras and Mexico.

All of these dynamics really play into where we whats going to happen in the future, she said.

Any government change that isnt friendly to exporters could quickly disrupt the North American year-round produce supply, she said.

Dumas said diversification is a wise move, considering so many uncertainties in politics and climate.

We want to make sure that were totally diversified, not relying on one area for what were producing or sourcing, he said.

DiNovo said that the recent uptick in inflation is likely transitory.I think that as a country, I believe that were on top of it, he said, noting the expected inflationary whiplash pressure from not having any demand for a period of time.

With a backdrop of rising prices, Dumas said it will be important that consumers still see value in fresh produce .

Sotomayor-Kirk said it is important that inflation not move into double digits as some Latin American countries have seen over the years.

We could stay within this level, but we could be a hop and skip away from being a country with 19% inflation, and thats a concern.

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Labor crisis could open the door for Congress to act on immigration reform - The Packer