Vice President Joe Biden appeared at a citizenship ceremony in Atlanta Thursday to push for an overhaul of the nation’s immigration system and a pathway to citizenship for the estimated 11 million immigrants living illegally in the U.S.
But his visit to Georgia came amid fresh signals from House Republican leaders that a bipartisan Senate immigration bill won’t go anywhere in Congress this year.
“Studies show that, for example, if those 11 million people are let out of the shadows, the GDP of the United States will grow by an additional 5.4 percent over the next five years,” Biden said at The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change. “Another $1.7 trillion will be added to the economy. Social Security will be more solvent, not less solvent.”
Biden spoke after 104 people from about 50 countries recited the oath of allegiance to become U.S. citizens. Biden was expected to attend a Democratic National Committee fundraiser Thursday evening at an Atlanta residence, where attendees are donating up to $20,000.
The vice president appeared at The King Center as part of an aggressive campaign by the Obama administration to advance immigration legislation this year. On Tuesday, Biden spoke to Catholic leaders on a conference call about the immigration. And last week, Biden and President Barack Obama met with business leaders at the White House concerning immigration legislation.
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