II 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 243 

Recognizing the month of June 2023 as ‘‘Immigrant Heritage Month’’, a 

celebration of the accomplishments and contributions of immigrants and 

their children in making the United States a healthier, safer, more 

diverse, prosperous country, and acknowledging the importance of immigrants and their children to the future successes of the United States. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 8, 2023 

Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself, Ms. CORTEZ MASTO, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. WYDEN, 

Mr. CARDIN, Mr. BOOKER, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mr. WARNOCK, Mr. LUJA ́N, 

Ms. WARREN, Mr. PADILLA, Ms. HIRONO, Ms. DUCKWORTH, Mr. 

FETTERMAN, Mrs. MURRAY, Ms. ROSEN, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, and Mr. 

BLUMENTHAL) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 

the Committee on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the month of June 2023 as ‘‘Immigrant Heritage Month’’, a celebration of the accomplishments and 

contributions of immigrants and their children in making 

the United States a healthier, safer, more diverse, prosperous country, and acknowledging the importance of 

immigrants and their children to the future successes 

of the United States. 

Whereas the United States is stronger if all individuals have 

the opportunity to live up to their full potential; 


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Whereas about 18 percent of health care workers in the 

United States are immigrants, including (in order of 

highest percentage of health care workers who are foreign-born)— 

(1) 27 percent of physicians; 

(2) 26 percent of dentists; 

(3) 20 percent of pharmacists; 

(4) 18 percent of dental assistants; 

(5) 15 percent of medical assistants; 

(6) 16 percent of registered nurses; 

(7) 15 percent of licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses; 

(8) 13 percent of dietitians and nutritionists; and 

(9) 13 percent of optometrists; 

Whereas the Association of American Medical Colleges attested to the Supreme Court of the United States that 

the health care system of the United States relies on immigrant health care providers in their current roles; 

Whereas immigrants working in health care professions serve 

throughout the United States and often in rural or underserved communities; 

Whereas immigrants fill approximately 1⁄4 of physician roles 

in the United States; 

Whereas immigrants working in a health care occupation 

range from those granted temporary protected status 

under section 244 of the Immigration and Nationality 

Act (8 U.S.C. 1254a) or deferred action pursuant to the 

final rule submitted by the Department of Homeland Security entitled ‘‘Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals’’ 

(87 Fed. Reg. 53152 (August 30, 2022)) (referred to in 

this preamble as ‘‘DACA’’), to naturalized United States 

citizens; 


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Whereas more than 12 percent of the immigrants working in 

health care occupations (310,000 individuals) are humanitarian migrants, including refugees, asylees, special immigrant visa holders, and parole entrants; 

Whereas 60,000 DACA recipients perform critical roles in the 

health care industry; 

Whereas medical students, residents, and physicians rely on 

DACA for their ability to practice medicine and provide 

medical care to approximately 4,600 patients per year; 

Whereas, in response to COVID–19, immigrants put their 

own lives on the line to save lives every day, working as 

diagnostic and treatment practitioners, physician assistants, physicians, nurses, health aides, nursing assistants 

and orderlies, health care support workers, medical students and residents, and health technologists and technicians; 

Whereas more than 5,200,000 undocumented immigrants, including more than 1⁄2 of all DACA recipients (400,000 

individuals) and the majority of Temporary Protected 

Status holders (more than 220,000 individuals) are considered essential critical infrastructure workers; 

Whereas immigrant essential workers, including first responders, health care workers, agricultural workers and 

meat packers, child care providers, and hospitality and 

transportation workers, have heroically helped provide 

medical care, food, shelter, and comfort to the individuals 

of the United States impacted by COVID–19; 

Whereas undocumented immigrants alone contribute an estimated $227,000,000,000 of spending power annually to 

the United States economy, after the payment of 


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$49,000,000,000 of combined Federal, State, and local 

taxes each year; 

Whereas the majority of farm workers in the United States 

are immigrants, and regardless of politics, have been 

deemed ‘‘essential workers’’ to maintaining a safe food 

supply for the United States during the COVID–19 pandemic; 

Whereas immigrants have served in the Armed Forces since 

the founding of the United States and have fought in 

every major conflict in United States history, including 

the Civil War, World Wars I and II, and the conflicts in 

Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq; 

Whereas immigrants have put their lives on the line to protect the ideals of the United States and democracy, as 

well as to protect the lives of the people of the United 

States, by serving as translators and interpreters for the 

Armed Forces, including in Afghanistan and Iraq, and 

performing sensitive and trusted activities for United 

States military personnel stationed with the International 

Security Assistance Force; 

Whereas immigrants who serve in emerging industries with 

pronounced labor shortages in the United States, such as 

artificial intelligence, that rely on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (referred to in this preamble 

as ‘‘STEM’’) skills, not only bolster the economy but also 

enhance national security and global leadership; 

Whereas, when immigrants have a trusting relationship with 

local law enforcement agencies, immigrants report crime 

and work with law enforcement agencies on neighborhood 

crime reduction strategies; 


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Whereas the United States has the largest number of immigrants in the world and those immigrants represent almost every country in the world, contributing to the rich 

diversity of people, cultures, cuisine, literature, art, language, academia, music, media, fashion, and customs; 

Whereas the United States is more diverse than ever before 

in its history, with greater shares than ever before of immigrants from India, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, the 

Philippines, El Salvador, Vietnam, Cuba, the Dominican 

Republic, South Korea, and Guatemala, and, since 2000, 

an increase of more than 90 percent of Black immigrants 

from across the African continent, the Caribbean, Jamaica, and Haiti; 

Whereas Black immigrants and their children make up 

roughly 1⁄5 of the overall Black population in the United 

States (21 percent); 

Whereas, in response to recent civil unrest in the United 

States, immigrants of all backgrounds have pledged their 

support to fight racial injustice, hand-in-hand with Black 

immigrants, to fight for accountability from law enforcement and the criminal justice system, and to demand 

that law enforcement protect all individuals, regardless of 

their skin color; 

Whereas celebrating the racial, ethnic, linguistic, and religious differences of immigrants has resulted in a unified, 

patriotic, and prosperous United States; 

Whereas immigration has long been one of the greatest competitive advantages of the United States; 

Whereas immigrants of all skill levels have helped make the 

economy of the United States the strongest in the world, 

complementing existing businesses in the United States 


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in times of need and founding successful businesses of 

their own; 

Whereas more than 44 percent of Fortune 500 companies 

were founded by immigrants or their children, which generate $7,000,000,000,000 in annual revenue and employ 

millions of individuals in the United States; 

Whereas, although approximately 14 percent of the population of the United States is immigrants, a considerably 

larger share of the labor force (18 percent) is immigrants; 

Whereas immigrants are entrepreneurial self-starters who 

create their own opportunity and employment opportunities for others, with 13 percent of employed immigrants 

being self-employed compared to 9 percent of employed, 

native-born individuals of the United States; 

Whereas immigrant-owned businesses provide jobs across the 

United States, supporting the creation of additional jobs 

through entrepreneurial activity in addition to the jobs 

they fill within their business; 

Whereas immigrants are more likely to have advanced degrees than native-born people of the United States; 

Whereas more than 1,000,000 international students are enrolled in colleges and universities across the United 

States, comprising about 5 percent of the total higher 

education population and helping make the United States 

the global leader in higher education; 

Whereas approximately 100,000 international students each 

year would hope to stay and work in the United States, 

if an immigration option were available to them; 

Whereas the immigration system of the United States has 

not been meaningfully updated in more than 30 years 


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and is now outdated and overburdened, turning away 

highly skilled workers and international student graduates and putting the global leadership of the United 

States at risk; 

Whereas allowing international student graduates interested 

in remaining in the United States to secure a permanent 

immigration status would expand the economy by 

$233,000,000,000 during the next decade and would help 

reduce STEM-related talent shortages by 25 percent; 

Whereas national security experts agree that it is essential 

for the United States to maintain its military 

exceptionalism by being the leader in advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, cyber, quantum, 

robotics, directed energy, and hypersonic weapons, which 

are all STEM fields where immigrants fill dangerous 

labor shortages in the United States; 

Whereas, due to population aging and longer life expectancy 

of the population in the United States requiring an increase in health care workers, immigrants are expected to 

fill a crucial need in the future health care system of the 

United States essential to keeping the people of the 

United States healthy; 

Whereas, if undocumented individuals who came to the 

United States as children (commonly referred to as 

‘‘Dreamers’’) alone were provided a pathway to citizenship, they would contribute approximately 

$799,000,000,000 to the economy of the United States 

during the next 10 years; 

Whereas future population growth in the United States will 

require increased immigration, and by increasing immigration substantially, will keep the United States ecoVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:59 Jun 08, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR243.IS SR243

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nomically competitive with China and other global economies and reduce future fiscal imbalances for popular programs like programs under the Social Security Act (42 

U.S.C. 301 et seq.); 

Whereas, without immigration, the working-age population of 

the United States will not grow and increasing immigration will help alleviate labor shortages, easing inflation; 

Whereas significantly increasing annual immigration levels 

would double the size of the United States economy by 

2050, dramatically lower the ratio of working-age individuals to senior-age individuals, and increase the average 

income for workers in the United States; 

Whereas President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., most recently honored the accomplishments, contributions, and sacrifices of 

immigrants by proclaiming June 2023 to be ‘‘Immigrant 

Heritage Month’’ and by asking all people of the United 

States to observe June 2023 with appropriate programming and activities to remind individuals of the values of 

diversity, equity, and inclusion; and 

Whereas continued integration of immigrants from around 

the world in a manner that encourages and facilitates a 

pathway to citizenship, economic and social mobility, and 

civic engagement will perpetuate the prosperity of the 

United States and reinforce the patriotism all people of 

the United States feel for the United States, no matter 

the color of skin, country of origin, or religious background of the individual: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) recognizes June 2023 as ‘‘Immigrant Herit3 age Month’’ in honor of the contributions immiVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:59 Jun 08, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR243.IS SR243

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1 grants and their children have made to the United 

2 States throughout its history; 

3 (2) pledges to celebrate immigrant contributions 

4 to, and immigrant heritages in, each State; 

5 (3) welcomes immigrants presently in the 

6 United States and individuals seeking to immigrate 

7 to the United States to contribute to the health, 

8 safety, diversity, and prosperity of the United States 

9 by finding their place in the vibrant, multiethnic, 

10 and integrated society of the United States; 

11 (4) encourages the people of the United States 

12 to work with their immigrant neighbors and col13 leagues to advance the current and future well-being 

14 of the United States; and 

15 (5) commits to working with fellow Members of 

16 Congress, the executive agencies that administer im17 migration laws and policies, and the President to 

18 promote smart and just immigration policy for im19 migrants presently in the United States, their fami20 lies, and individuals seeking to immigrate to the 

21 United States in the future. 

Æ 


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