Washington, D.C. February 18, 2021 – Today, the Biden administration, alongside Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Representative Linda Sanchez (CA-38), unveiled the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021. This bill features a pathway to citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. and does not increase funds for detentions, deportations or border wall construction.
Greisa Martinez Rosas, Executive Director of United We Dream, said:
We celebrate the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 as a testament to the growing power of our movement which has fought for policies that make a clean break from endless enforcement increases in exchange for citizenship. This bill is one of the boldest immigration bills to date, delivered by our movement and made possible by President Biden. Ultimately success will be measured once citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants is made a reality.
Amid mass deportations of Black immigrants, compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic and deliberate exclusion of immigrants from vital pandemic relief, our communities remain committed to winning protections for all immigrants. President Biden, Speaker Pelosi, and Majority Leader Schumer must act with the urgency this moment requires and use every avenue to provide relief to immigrants now!
As a first step towards delivering on citizenship for all 11 million undocumented people, House Democrats must swiftly pass the Dream & Promise Act and the Farm Workforce Modernization Act by March 12. These bills, which passed with bipartisan support in 2019, would provide permanent relief to over 3.5 million immigrant youth, TPS holders, and farm workers. The Senate must then go all-in to ensure permanent solutions for these communities pass. Also ensuring a pathway to citizenship for millions of essential workers, immigrant youth, and TPS holders is included in the next COVID recovery package. What Democrats do next will solidify their commitment to immigrant communities, and we at United We Dream will fight with everything we have to ensure they follow through.
United We Dream is the largest immigrant youth-led organization in the nation, a powerful network made up of over 800,000 members, over 100 local groups and a reach of over 5 million per month. UWD’s vision is to build a multi-racial, multi-ethnic movement of young people who organize and advocate at the local and national levels for the dignity and justice of immigrants and communities of color in the United States. You can find more about UWD online at www.unitedwedream.org.