Maine’s economy depends on a vibrant and diverse workforce. We are old and getting older and our best hope for the future is to attract and retain qualified workers from throughout the globe.

Even now, as we face the economic contractions associated with COVID-19 — increased unemployment, slowing economic activity and large state and local revenue shortfalls — we know that we also have significant long and medium range challenges that we must address.

But ensuring that immigrant families — those working in Maine in critical sectors, members of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and workers with individual tax identity numbers — are part of our national coronavirus response is one thing that helps our state immediately and helps our entire state in the long run.

We have such a great opportunity to help hardworking immigrant families thrive in this economic and public health emergency.

In the spring, Congress and the president took quick action to help ease the pain and suffering caused by the stay-at-home orders that were necessary to slow the spread of COVID-19.

But the CARES Act and the Families First Coronavirus Response Act did not address the pressing need faced by low- and middle-income immigrant families who are part of our communities and do important work taking care of older Mainers. They work in manufacturing and agriculture and contribute to the well-being of our state.

As political leaders in Washington look at the next round of relief measures, it’s my hope that they don’t repeat the mistake of ignoring Maine’s desperate need for qualified and willing workers and their families. Honestly, we can’t afford to miss this opportunity.

The Maine State Chamber of Commerce and the Maine Development Foundation have studied our state’s economy for years, producing a number of well-regarded studies about how we should collectively set our priorities to help deliver economic prosperity.

In a groundbreaking 2016 report, the state chamber and MDF could not have been more clear: We must improve migration into the state and increase the diversity of our population.

Otherwise, our state’s workforce is projected to decline, the report says, as aging workers reach retirement and too few young workers are available to replace them. We need workers to fill those jobs and pay their taxes and willing buyers to run our local businesses.

In its 2020 policy statement, the chamber was clear: “There’s only one solution, and that’s to make it easier for immigrants to work in this country long term, not make it more difficult.”

I think we all recognize that immigration can be a complex and divisive topic, particularly when national politics are part of the mix. But frankly, in Maine, this is a question of fairness during difficult times — that’s Maine way.

Former President George W. Bush is scheduled to release a new book in March next year that includes portraits and biographies of immigrants who he has met through the years.

In the introduction to the book, the former president explained why he chose to highlight the stories of men and women who came to our country as immigrants: “While I recognize that immigration can be an emotional issue, I reject the premise that it is a partisan issue. It is perhaps the most American of issues, and it should be one that unites us.”

As members of Congress and the president continue to negotiate the next steps our country will take to help protect public health and our economy, I hope that they will hear those words from our 43rd president — we are all in this together, and if our response is too narrow it will leave important parts of our communities behind — making things terrible for them as well as all our children.

Congress can take immediate steps in the right direction by ending or delaying the discriminatory “public charge” rule that keeps many immigrant families from seeking help. C’mon folks, it’s time to end immigration enforcement actions in hospitals — where people go when they are sick — and make sure that taxpaying working immigrant families receive support to help them survive the hardships caused by this global pandemic.

A commitment to fairness and our collective moral compasses demand that we do what’s right. If we do, we’ll see immediate benefits in our communities today as well as in our long-term economic health in the future.

Tony Payne is the chair of the Advocacy Committee of the Portland Regional Chamber.

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