; 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; 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)