The George W. Bush Presidential Center has opened an exhibit called, "Out of Many, One: Portraits of America's Immigrants." The exhibit includes 43 portraits painted by George W. Bush, statistics about immigration and policy recommendations.
"What they're going to see is a mash-up of the human stories behind the paintings of the immigrants and also the policy work we do here at the Bush Institute," says Laura Collins, director of the Bush Institute-SMU Economic Growth Initiative.
Out of Many, One includes paintings of celebrities like Dirk Nowitzki, Henry Kissinger and Madeleine Albright and lesser known immigrants who may know the former president personally. Included with the paintings are stories about how each person adjusted to life in America.
"They're our friends, they're our neighbors, they're people who go to church with us," Collins says. "We think they really have positive impacts on our communities."
The exhibit also includes statistics and policy recommendations.
Among recommendations is a path for undocumented immigrants to apply for citizenship.
"Deporting all the undocumented immigrants in the U.S. would be expensive and impractical," one part of the exhibit says.
"We really think America benefits from immigration," Collins says. "We have some recommendations for a system that will ensure the future prosperity and vitality of this nation. But also, these portraits are beautiful, and the stories behind them are remarkable. They really highlight the everyday contributions we know immigrants make."
Out of Many, One cites a Pew Research Center report estimating 10.5 million undocumented immigrants now live in the U.S. and more than two thirds of undocumented adults have lived here more than a decade.
The exhibit says the labor force would shrink 6.4% without undocumented immigrants and lead to a $1.6 trillion economic loss over 20 years. In addition, undocumented immigrants pay an estimated $13 billion into Social Security and $3 billion into Medicare.
"We know immigrants come here to work. We know they come here because we have so much economic opportunity," Collins says. "One of the people featured, Tina Tran, said talent is everywhere, but opportunity is really only here."
Out of Many, One is open Tuesday through Saturday. Reservations are required, and tickets can be purchased at https://tickets.bushcenter.org . The exhibit will stay on display through January 3, 2022.
