“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.