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Prominent FL Business, Faith, Higher Education, Community Leaders in LETTER to Sens. Rubio and Scott: Pass a Pathway to Citizenship for Florida’s Dreamers NOW

By December 12, 2022No Comments

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“Florida is in a global contest to attract and retain talent. To that end, providing permanent legal status to Dreamers makes sound economic sense.”

TALLAHASSEE – Days after Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) introduced a bipartisan framework for a lame-duck session Senate bill that would finally lay down a pathway to citizenship for the nation’s 2 million Dreamers (those brought to the U.S. undocumented as children) and also enact border security measures, a coalition of Florida business and faith leaders have sent a letter (full text below) to Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott urging them to wholeheartedly support the legislation.

The letter stresses that supporting such legislation is not only the right thing to do for young people who have spent nearly their whole lives in Florida; it’s also the smart economic thing to do for the state’s future. 

The letter’s prominent Florida signatories include: Mike Fernandez, Founder and CEO of MBF Healthcare Partners and ABIC Co-Chair; Harold Mills, CEO of VMD Ventures and Trustee at the University of Central Florida; Kay Rawlins, Club Founder & SVP of Community Impact at Orlando City Soccer Club; Miami Catholic Archbishop Thomas Wenski; former republican U.S. Congressman Carlos Curbelo; and republican Orlando City Commissioner Tony Ortiz; former Miami Dade College President Dr. Eduardo Padron; Miami Foundation President & CEO Rebecca Fishman Lipsey; former Florida Republican Party Chairman Al Cardenas; and former National GOP operative and media commentator Ana Navarro.

 

FULL LETTER TEXT

Open Letter to Senators Rubio and Scott

The Honorable Marco Rubio

United States Senate 

Washington, D. C. 20510

The Honorable Rick Scott

United States Senate

Washington, D. C. 20510




Dear Senators Rubio and Scott,

As business leaders, higher education leaders, employers, and Florida voters, we strongly urge you to support the efforts of Senators Tillis and Sinema to find a bipartisan solution for our nation’s two million Dreamers and to ensure an orderly, safe, and secure border (see: The Washington Post, December 5, 2022).

With the recent federal court rulings on the DACA program, Dreamers and those who employ them are bracing ourselves for a new reality. If the program is struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court, it will cause untold devastation not only for Dreamers and their families, but also for the Florida industries that have come to rely on their hard work. There are about two open jobs for every person out of work. Taking hundreds of thousands out of the labor force will further fuel inflation, exacerbate supply chain challenges, and tip the economy into recession.

Florida is in a global contest to attract and retain talent. To that end, providing permanent legal status to Dreamers makes sound economic sense. Our policies must allow us to compete for the workers we need to fuel our economy and retain the young talent that already exists here but lacks the security of permanent legal status.

Dreamers are a critical and integral part of our state’s economy and workforce. In Florida alone, there are over 40,000 Dreamers pursuing higher education. Over 68,900 Floridians DACA-eligible Dreamers contribute to our economy, start families, buy homes, build businesses, and bring their talents to the industry sectors where they’re most needed. In 2014, Dreamers’ contributions to Florida’s economy were recognized by then-Gov. Rick Scott when he led the charge for them to receive in-state tuition rates, understanding that their potential success represents an opportunity for all Floridians. 

Over the past year and a half, more than three quarters of DACA recipients in the workforce—343,000—were employed in jobs deemed essential by the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. 

Of this, 34,000 were healthcare workers providing patient care. Another 11,000 individuals were working in healthcare settings keeping these facilities functioning.

For more than a decade, DACA participants, their employers and employees, have been vulnerable to government indecision that has sown anxiety, instability, and legal limbo in their lives—and in our state’s workforce.

At a time of widespread labor shortages and rampant inflation, we urge you to stand with Senators Tillis and Sinema, Florida businesses, and our community. Improving border security and providing a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers is not only morally right; it is also absolutely crucial to addressing labor shortages, reducing food prices, and creating jobs for all Florida families.

Sincerely,

 

Mike Fernandez, Founder and CEO of MBF Healthcare Partners and ABIC Co-Chair

Harold Mills, CEO of VMD Ventures and Trustee at the University of Central Florida

Kay Rawlins, Club Founder & SVP of Community Impact at Orlando City Soccer Club

Archbishop Thomas Wenski, Catholic Archdiocese of Miami

Carlos Curbelo, Former U.S. Congressman (R)

Tony Ortiz, Orlando City Commissioner (R)

Rebecca Fishman Lipsey, President and CEO of the Miami Foundation

Al Cardenas, Former Chairman of the Florida Republican Party

Ana Navarro, Former National GOP Operative and Media Commentator

Antonio Argiz, South Florida Managing Partner and Board Member at BDO USA

Dr. Eduardo Padron, Former President at Miami Dade College

Chadwick Hardee, Member of the Central Florida Hotel and Lodging Association and Former Chairman of the Orange County Republican Executive Committee

Juan Carlos Planas, Former Florida State Representative (R) and Attorney

Marni Stahlman, President and CEO of the Mental Health Association of Central Florida

Cindy Lerner, Former Mayor of the City of Pinecrest

Bill Lucia, Managing Director of Bill Lucia and Associates

Aida Levitan, President at the Levitan Group

Maria Salamanca, Investor at Ulu Ventures and Orange County School Board Member

Melissa Byrd, Orange County School Board Member

Julius Melendez, Osceola County School Board Member

Jorge Figueroa, President of the Puerto Rican Chamber of Central Florida

Lourdes Leon, President of the Volusia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

Nancy Hernandez, President of the Made in Venezuela Business Club

Walter Pavon, President and CEO at Hormac Construction

Daryl Flynn, Former Member of the Orange County School Board

Idler Bonhomme, Former President of the Haitian American Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida

Leonard Boord, Partner at Sloan Capital and CEO at Sunny Group Real Estate

Michael Arrington, President and CEO at Provisions Construction and Management

Jose Fernandez, CEO at Florida Compass Group

Maria Antonietta Diaz, Founder and CEO at CBS Group and President and Founder of the Venezuelan American Alliance

Brendan Ramirez, Founder and CEO at Pan Behavioral Health Services Inc. 

Robert Prater, Former Republican State House Candidate

Gloria Romero Roses, Shareholder and Advisor at the Climate First Bank and Principal at Nexus Living

Alex Blanco, Retired Executive at Ecolab

Bob Dickingson, Former Acting CEO at Camillus House

Maria Elena Lopez, Small Business Owner

Tom Roses, Small Business Owner

Liz Rebecca Alarcon, CEO and President at Pulso

Jesus Seguias, President and CEO at Datincorp

Sami Haiman Marrero, CEO at Urbander

William Diaz, President and Founder of the National Network of Casas de Venezuela

Melanie Emanuelli, Executive Director at Alianza Center

Edward Garza, Director of the Mexican American Council

Isabel Garcia, Executive at Redlands Christian Migrant Foundation

Laudi Campo, Florida Director at Hispanic Federation

Cecilia Williams, Chief Operating Officer at Halbert Halgrove

Marco Antonio Quiroga, Executive Director at the Contigo Fund

Felipe Sousa-Labazallet, Executive Director of the HOPE CommUnity Center

Adelys Ferro, Executive Director of the Venezuelan American Caucus

Javier Torres, Executive Director at Migrants Foundation Inc.

Felipe Pinzon, President and Founder of Hispanic Unity of Florida

Lydia Medrano, Director of the LULAC Florida Council 7252

Marucci Guzman, Executive Director at Latino Leadership

Luz Corcuera, President at UNIDOSNOW

Marisol Dieguez, Executive Director at Programa de Ayuda Humanitaria Para Venezuela

Subhash Kateel, Florida State Director at the Alliance for Safety and Justice

Andrea Montanez, Former DEA Official

Ediberto Roman, Law Professor at Florida International University

Sallie Hugues, Professor at the University of Miami

Rosa Rivas, Administrator at the University of Miami

Lauren Gilbert, Law Professor at St. Thomas University College of Law

Susan Ambdrige, Higher Education Professional

Rev. Carlos Malave, Executive Director of the Latino Christian National Network

Agustin Quiles, Government Affairs Director at Fraternidad de Concilios y Entidades Religiosas

Rev. Sarah Robinson, Pastor at Audubon Park Covenant Church

Rev. Benjamin Perez, Pastor at Purpose Church

Sister Ann Kendrick, Founder of the HOPE CommUnity Center

Juan Jose Rodriguez, Missionary and Attorney

Gayle Pomerantz, Rabbi at Temple Beth Sholom

Antonio Crespo, Physician at Orlando Health

Angel Garrido, Physician at Carisk Partners inc.

Michael T. Gibson, Attorney and CEO

Dominic Andreano, Attorney

Carlos M. de Cespedes, Attorney

Douglas McIntosh, Attorney

Vicente Perez, Attorney

Deirdre Nero, Attorney

Martha Murillo, Accountant 

Stephanie Rakofsky, Social Worker

Alina Fernandez, Compliance Manager

Jer Cutliff, Consultant

Armando Fernandez, Retired Compliance Officer at the U.S. Department of Labor

Paul Ahr, Psychologist Consultant

Background
DACA’s success has unleashed the economic potential of almost 800,000 people, allowing them to contribute to our economy, start families, buy homes, access healthcare, build businesses, and bring their talents to the industry sectors where they’re most needed. Three quarters of DACA participants in the workforce—343,000 people—are essential workers. Of those, 34,000 provide healthcare services and 11,000 work tirelessly keeping  our hospital and clinic facilities up and running. As our nation faces a teacher shortage, 20,000 DACA recipients are working with kids in classrooms across the country. About 100,000 DACA recipients work in the nation’s food supply chain—roles that are more important than they have ever been in the wake of COVID’s disruptions.

But for too long, DACA participants have been vulnerable to government indecision that has kept their lives in legal limbo and filled them with anxiety and uncertainty. And DACA’s strict timeframes omit thousands of individuals  who need it. More than 427,000 undocumented students are currently enrolled in postsecondary institutions, and of these, less than half (181,000) are DACA-elligible. Similarly every year, nearly 100,000 undocumented students graduated U.S. high schools, but only one quarter are DACA-eligible.

DACA has been a transformative program for both its recipients and the country, demonstrating why expanding opportunities for immigrants is good for all of America—but it’s not enough. Now is the time to build on the success of DACA and pass bipartisan legislation that provides a path to citizenship to all Dreamers, with or without DACA. The future of our country depends on it. 

ABOUT

ABIC Action is the political arm of the American Business Immigration Coalition (ABIC), a bipartisan coalition of over 1,200+ CEOs, business owners, and trade associations across 16 mostly red and purple states. ABIC Action promotes common sense immigration reform that advances economic competitiveness, provides companies with both the high-skilled and low-skilled talent they need, and allows the integration of immigrants into our economy as consumers, workers, entrepreneurs, and citizens. 

President’s Alliance for Higher Education and Immigration is an alliance of American college and university leaders dedicated to increasing public understanding of how immigration policies and practices impact our students, campuses and communities.

TheDream.US works to help 6,000 highly motivated DREAMers graduate from college with career-ready degrees. DREAMers are immigrant youth who came to this country at a very young age without documentation.