The US government released a report yesterday detailing how plans to naturalise almost 11 million undocumented immigrants would be good for the country’s economy.
The White House Report showed an increase in total income for all Americans by $791 billion, $184 billion in additional state and federal tax revenue and the creation of two million jobs over the same period.
Meanwhile the report claimed that offering the illegal immigrants legal status without the option for citizenship, as proposed by some members of Congress, would result in less economic benefits.
A route to citizenship for America’s undocumented immigrants is one of the key points of the new immigration reform which is currently a topic of fierce debate in the US. While the reform has already passed through the Senate, its path through the Republican controlled House of Representatives is less clear.
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Many Republicans view the path to citizenship proposal – which prescribes a 13-year transition period for any illegal immigrant seeking citizenship – as an amnesty for an illegal act in entering the country in the first place.
Under the proposals, an immigrant seeking citizenship would also need to pass background checks, pay fees, fines and back taxes, learn English and gain employment.