| New York, NY—Today, House Democrats released the text of their Build Back Better reconciliation package. The spending plan includes immigration provisions, which would grant temporary and time-limited immigration and work benefits to immigrants brought here as children, TPS holders, and farmworkers, but without any path to a green card and eventual citizenship. The New York Immigration Coalition immediately joined national partners in demanding the Democratic Party deliver on their promise to deliver legalization for millions.
Murad Awawdeh, Executive Director, New York Immigration Coalition:
“After four years of enduring the most anti-immigrant President in recent history, who sought out new and cruel ways to terrorize and rip apart families, immigrants need and deserve more than the temporary solutions and half-measures offered in this bill. Every one of us who calls America home, regardless of race or religion, deserves stability, safety, and opportunity for our families. It’s time for Senate Majority Leader Schumer to use his power to deliver for immigrant communities. We can’t wait any longer and we won’t accept the scraps of a makeshift stopgap as a solution because we know all too well the human costs of deferring the enactment of real lasting immigration reform. Senate Majority Leader Schumer has the power to build a better vision of our country and secure a true recovery. It’s time he and his caucus listened to the majority of the American people and delivered on their promise of a pathway to citizenship in the reconciliation bill.”
Background:
Throughout the month of September, the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) has joined its national partners in a series of actions demanding that Congressional Democrats hold firm on their promise to deliver a pathway to citizenship. Over the summer, NYIC and Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM) members led one thousand immigrant essential workers, elected officials, and immigrant rights advocates to demand the inclusion of a pathway to citizenship in the Democrats’ budget reconciliation infrastructure bill.
A few weeks before the inauguration of President Biden, NYIC launched an aggressive campaign targeted at key members of New York’s Democratic congressional delegation, demanding an unequivocal commitment to achieving a pathway to citizenship. NYIC’s work is part of a multi-organizational and national effort spearheaded by FIRM to transform America’s immigration system. A Data for Progress poll revealed a clear majority of Americans, 67%, support legalization for Dreamers, TPS recipients, and essential workers. A FWD.us report outlined that legalization would provide $149 billion in GDP and $39 billion in federal, state, and local taxes.
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