Right now, Congress is in the process of debating and potentially passing a reconciliation bill that includes a number of provisions that are good for immigrant families. During the next couple of weeks and months, we will see several updates and changes but one thing is clear: this bill is good for children and families. Today we will highlight a number of provisions that are good for immigrant families in our state. We know that a path forward that includes economic recovery cannot be done without lifting those who have been hardest hit, that includes immigrant families. Immigrant families have been vital to our state during the pandemic and will continue to be during the recovery.
Child Tax Credit Expansion
The expansion and extension of the CTC through 2025 would mean that more children would be eligible, restoring eligibility to the CTC to about 1 million Little Dreamers with ITINs. In Utah, that is approximately 11,500 children. An equitable recovery would allow for more funding to come directly to our family with a $34,882,800 impact to our state.
Educational Equity
Educational opportunities for all will be key in ensuring everyone can recover after the pandemic. The provisions made would ensure that there are no restrictions to expanded child care and early education programs. This means neither the parents nor the children’s immigration status will be a factor during the eligibility process. Additionally, eligibility for higher education assistance such as Pell Grants, student loans, and work study would expand to those with DACA, TPS, and DED.
Pathway to citizenship
Immigration reform will be essential to the economic recovery of our state and for our immigrant families. While we are disappointed at the Parliamentarian's first ruling to not include a pathway we urge Congress to search every avenue available to provide protection to immigrant families in the U.S. It is estimated that over 34,000 Utah children have an undocumented parent. By providing a pathway to citizenship to essential workers, DACA, TPS, and DED holders, approximately 1,000 children will be lifted out of poverty in our state. Additionally, Utah is home to approximately 100,000 undocumented immigrants, and of those, about 49,500 are essential workers. We understand that immigrants have been critical to keeping Utah moving forward and helping our economy stay afloat during the pandemic and hope we can support them post-pandemic by including such reforms during the reconciliation process.
As we continue to advocate on federal and state level policies, Voices will ask the question: “Is it good for kids?” The provisions we highlighted are ones that we believe are good for immigrant kids in our state. As the House and Senate continue to negotiate what will be included in the final reconciliation bill, we urge them to keep these provisions that will ensure kids and families in Utah will have opportunities to recover economically post-pandemic.
