Statement by Make the Road New York: President Obama will Push for Immigration Reform

April 9, 2009

Statement by Make the Road New York

Deputy Director Javier Valdes
(917) 679-2971

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On Today's New York Times Article that President Obama will Push for Immigration Reform

On behalf of Make the Road New York's 5,200 immigrant members, we were happy to read today's story in the New York Times, where longtime immigrant advocate and current White House Director of Intergovernmental Affairs Cecilia Munoz, states that the White House is looking to start the debate this year on comprehensive legislation that will provide a path to citizenship for those that are currently undocumented in the United States.

Last November demonstrated the political power of the growing Latino electorate; Latinos played a crucial role in key battle ground states across the nation. In New York City, Latinos played a similar role in the election of Congressman Michael McMahon in Staten Island.

We look forward to working with President Obama and our allies in Congress to not only start a debate about this very important issue but also to pass much needed immigration reform that will help our country grow economically. This issue will test President Obama and the new Democratic majority's leadership and commitment to make good on their promise to Latino voters.

The Immigration Policy Center released a report, The Economics of Immigration Reform, that shows how immigration reform is vital to our nation's economic recovery.

Some key findings:

Legalization increases government revenues by bringing ALL workers into the tax system.
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that $66 billion in new revenue over 10 years would have been generated if the 2006 immigration reform bill, which would have legalized most of our undocumented population, had passed.
New legal immigrants to the U.S. would provide a net benefit of $407 billion to the Social Security system over 50 years, according to a study by the National Foundation for American Policy.
The "underground" construction workforce in New York City represented $342 million in lost tax revenue in 2005 because of employers who paid workers "off the books," according to a study by the Fiscal Policy Institute.