Winning Commonsense Immigration Reform in 2013
SEIU Principles for Commonsense Immigration Reform
SEIU calls on Congress to pass in 2013 practical commonsense immigration reform that comports with our
national values; provides a clear roadmap to citizenship for hardworking, taxpaying immigrants; builds the
strength and unity of working people; keeps families together; and guarantees the same rights, obligations,
and basic fairness for all workers, no matter where they come from. Commonsense immigration reform
must include:

Earned Legalization with a Path to Citizenship. A realistic and expeditious mechanism whereby
the estimated 11 million undocumented persons currently living in the U.S. can get right with the
law. SEIU also supports the DREAM Act--legalization of aspiring citizens who have grown up in
this country--as a component of commonsense reform.

Future Flow of Immigrants. Replace the current undocumented flow of workers with a 21st
Century system that allows new American immigrant workers and family members to come to the
U.S. in a safe, legal and orderly manner. Any new worker visa program must provide for strict
compliance with U.S. labor standards and wage and hour standards; portability of visas so that
workers can change jobs; and the ability for workers to petition for permanent residency.

Safe Borders. SEIU believes that the most realistic way to secure our borders and restore respect
for law is to provide an opportunity for undocumented workers to legalize their status and to have
safe and orderly channels for future immigrants to enter our nation legally. Internal and border law
enforcement should focus on preventing criminals, drug cartels and other bad actors from entering
the U.S. or engaging in criminal activities.
SEIU looks forward to the President's leadership on commonsense immigration reform and on Congress to
act in 2013. This is the right thing to do for America, our economy, our communities, and for workers and
our families.
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Messaging Points
What Commonsense Immigration Reform Means for Our Country, Our Movement

A roadmap to citizenship for 11 million aspiring citizens strengthens our nation as a whole.
Immigrants have shaped the American identity and continue to contribute our economic and social
fabric. Citizenship leads to:
o Increased civic participation and strengthening of our communities;
o More contributions to the economy and a continuing commitment to our country;
o Better job access and higher paying jobs;
o Preventing abusive employers from driving down wages;
o Lower poverty rate (EPI);
o Less marginalization and exploitation;
o Less worksite discrimination that pits citizen immigrants against non-citizens;
o Greater access to, and investment in, higher education;

Creating a commonsense immigration process leads to:
o A mechanism for new American immigrants to come here legally in times of economic
growth or to satisfy the long-term needs of our aging workforce;
o Allowing aspiring citizens to come in a safe, legal and orderly manner;
o A legal system that would treat all workers and employers equally;
o Everyone – including employers -- paying their fair share of taxes;
o Raising the wage floor for all workers;
o An immigration process that goes after employers who often hire an undocumented
workforce because they think they can violate the labor laws without punishment and have
a competitive advantage over employers who follow the laws;
o Letting workers engage openly in the labor movement without the fear of deportation or
retaliation based on immigration status;

How workers would be protected under an updated immigration process:
o Workers would have the power to fight back against abusive employers under an
immigration process that requires strict compliance with labor standards;
o Workers would have full labor and civil protections;
o Workers would have the right to join unions;
o Workers’ visas would let them change jobs;
o Workers would have the ability—not dependent on the employer—to self-petition for
permanent residency and citizenship;
o Workers would be allowed to bring immediate family members with them who are also
work authorized.

How families will benefit from a practical immigration system:
o To maintain our core values as a nation, family reunification is key to U.S. immigration
policy. Family separation is unnatural and creates a powerful pressure for undocumented
immigration.
o Families play a key role in the integration of immigrants into American life, including
providing social and economic support to adults and teaching children values and skills to
succeed in school, society, and work.
Economic Impacts of Immigration Reform
o America is a nation of immigrants, founded on values that embrace diversity and
entrepreneurship. Over the past decade, two-thirds of undocumented workers have
contributed to our economy and culture.
o America has prospered because of the contributions of hardworking immigrants who form
new businesses, buy homes and are a part of our national fabric.

Providing a common-sense immigration process for the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the
United States would generate at least $1.5 trillion in cumulative GDP over 10 years and adding
close to $5 billion in additional tax revenue in the next three years. (CAP)

By comparison, a temporary worker program would amount to $792 billion in cumulative GDP over
10 years and would drive down wages for both native-born and newly legalized immigrant workers.
(CAP)

Legalization of hardworking, taxpaying workers through needed immigration reforms would also
shrink the underground “cash” economy exploited by dishonest employers who abuse workers and
drive down wages.

The alternative: Mass deportation would result in $2.6 trillion in cumulative lost GDP over 10
years, not including the actual cost of deportation. (CAP)

Providing the 2.1 million DREAMers with a path to
citizenship would not only serve as an incentive to
invest in higher education and enable them to
obtain higher-paying jobs, but also boost our
economy, adding $329 billion by 2030. (CAP –
DREAMers)

Legalization of these aspiring, young citizens
would create 1.4 million new jobs and add at least
$10 billion to the nation’s revenue by 2030. (CAP –
DREAMers)

A path to citizenship would also mean access to
healthcare for millions of uninsured aspiring
citizens under the Affordable Care Act. Coverage for our immigrant community would drive down
the burden of healthcare costs imposed through increased health insurance premiums or taxes for
safety net health care programs.
Broad Support for a Path to Citizenship for New American Immigrants

The 2012 elections underscored the importance of the Latino vote and Latino voters’ support for
candidates who will stand for commonsense immigration reform and not a system that alienates
our immigrant community.

According to the national exit poll, 77% of Hispanic voters said undocumented immigrants should
be offered a chance to apply for legal status. (http://www.pewhispanic.org/2012/11/07/latino-votersin-the-2012-election/)

According to the national exit poll, voters support offering legal status over deportation by 65-28
percent. Subgroups were even more impressive: Obama voters 80-13 percent, Romney voters 5043 percent, Democrats 79-14 percent, Independents 64-29 percent, Republicans 51 to 42 percent,
White voters 60-33 percent, and African America voters 81 to 12 percent.

The Maryland DREAM Act passed 58-42 in a state where just a little less than 4% % of the
electorate is Latino, with strong majority support from African Americans.

Other polls show that a majority of the American public supports commonsense immigration reform
that provides undocumented immigrants an opportunity to earn citizenship. According to a survey
by Langer Research Associates for ABC News, 57 percent of Americans support a path to
citizenship for illegal immigrants, with 39 percent opposed.
(http://www.langerresearch.com/uploads/1144a1SocialIssues.pdf)

In the same survey, support for a path to citizenship peaks at 82 percent among Hispanics, 71
percent among Democrats and liberals alike, 69 percent among young adults and 68 percent
among nonwhites overall, compared with 51 percent among nonwhites.
(http://www.langerresearch.com/uploads/1144a1SocialIssues.pdf)