Miami | In-Person

What Would Immigration Reform Mean for Miami?

A Zócalo/Azteca America Event
Moderated by Andrés Martinez, Vice President, New America Foundation

Immigration reform promises to transform life in South Florida. For years Floridians hired, educated, and interacted on a daily basis with people whose legal status is uncertain. Bringing them into the system could change Miami’s economy, schools, and politics as more people become able to start businesses, pursue higher education, and participate fully in civic life without fear of legal repercussions. New legislation could also help local businesses recruit and hire the workers they need. But immigration reform also poses potential challenges—from higher labor costs to increased demand for already strained public services. Can Miami prepare to become a post-immigration-reform city—and does the 1986 amnesty hold any lessons for South Florida’s future? U.S. Congressman Mario Diaz-BalartTIME Magazine Senior National Correspondent Michael Grunwald, Haitian Women of Miami Executive Director Marleine Bastien, and Miami-Dade County Chief Economist Robert Cruz visit Zócalo to discuss what immigration reform would mean for us all.

 

*Photo courtesy of REUTERS/Blake Sell

LOCATION:
Freedom Tower at Miami Dade College
600 Biscayne Blvd.
Miami, FL 33132
The Freedom Tower is located on the Wolfson Campus of Miami Dade College in downtown Miami. Parking is available at Lot 1, see map.

The Takeaway

Should Florida Love Immigration Reform?

A Panel Assesses What the Proposed Legislation In Congress Would Mean For Miami

A higher percentage of immigrants live, work, and own businesses in Miami than in any other city in America. But as comfortable as South Florida has become with absorbing people …