The potential impact of the House's newly passed immigration bills in California

The House recently passed two immigration bills. The first, H.R. 6, The American Dream and Promise Act of 2021 is aimed at Dreamers, undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children. The recently passed bill would, among other things, create a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers.

The House also passed H.R. 1603, the Farmworkers Modernization Act, which would allow farmworkers and their immediate family members to obtain permanent resident status if they remain working in the agriculture industry.

Although the bills are set to face an uphill battle in the Senate, it is important to note that if passed, these immigration bills could have a significant impact on California.

California is home to more than two million undocumented immigrants. This is “nearly a quarter of the nation’s undocumented immigrants.” More than half reside in counties like Orange, Los Angeles and Santa Clara. However, a sizable share of those undocumented immigrants lives in the Central Valley. It’s estimated that close to 70,000 live in Fresno county, another 37,000 live in Tulare county, 50,000 in San Joaquin county and the list continues. More on immigration in rural areas can be found here. 

Many of these undocumented immigrants have significant ties to the state. Not only are they working and studying in California (California has more than 200,000 DACA recipients), but they’re also getting married and having children. It is estimated that more than five million U.S. children have an undocumented parent.

So, what impact would these immigration bills have on California?

The first bill, the American Dream and Promise Act would benefit the younger generation(s) of undocumented immigrants. It is estimated that there are more than 200,000 DACA recipients living in California so, assuming they meet the requirements, about a quarter million immigrants in California could earn legal status through this bill.

Moving on to the second bill, The Farmworkers Modernization Act has the potential to reach many more undocumented immigrants than the American Dream and Promise Act. For starters, it is important to note that in 2016, undocumented immigrants made up nine percent of California’s workforce. Although undocumented immigrants work in a variety of industries, there is a concentration of undocumented workers in crop-related jobs. Immigrants make up 90% of California’s crop-workers and half of those crop-workers are undocumented. Crop-related jobs encompass those that are performed on “farms, orchards, groves, greenhouses, and nurseries [and] that are primarily engaged in growing crops, plants, vines, or trees and their seeds.”

Thus, under The Farmworkers Modernization Act, California’s agricultural industry would see the most benefit, as many of its undocumented workers could earn permanent legal status under this bill. According to some, allowing undocumented workers to obtain legal status could serve as “an economic stimulus.” Legalization of undocumented immigrants has the potential to expand the economy given that “the legalized will pay more taxes, and immigrants will add tax revenue and economic activity.”

The Central Valley in particular would stand to gain from The Farmworkers Modernization Act given its considerable number of undocumented immigrants, most of which work in the agriculture industry. This likely explains why one of the few Republicans who supported the bill was David Valadao, representative of the 21st congressional district which covers a large chunk of the Central Valley including all of Kings county and parts of of Tulare, Kern, and Fresno counties.

There has been a mixed response to these bills. While some Republicans are working on immigration legislation of their own, others have said the immigration bills will be set aside until the issues at the U.S.-Mexico border, namely the surge of unaccompanied minors, are under control. Finally, some politicians have opposed the bills on the basis that they are too broad in scope. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell argues that the bills are “a massive proposal for blanket amnesty.”

Again, the bills are predicted to stall in the Senate so there are no guarantees that these bills will become law. However, if they did, it’s possible that California, being the state with the most undocumented immigrants, could see the most benefits. Thus, it is worthwhile to track the progress of these bills as they move through the legislative process.