NILC Statement on the Inclusion of a Pathway to Citizenship in the Budget Reconciliation Package

WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats today released a $3.5 trillion budget blueprint that would increase funding for health care, child and elder care, education and climate change, and includes more than $100 billion to provide a pathway to citizenship for millions of immigrant youth, people with temporary protected status (TPS), farm workers, and essential workers.

Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center and the NILC Immigrant Justice Fund, issued the following statement:

“Democratic leadership unveiled a historic budget that would address some of the most significant crises affecting working families in our country, ranging from funding reducing childhood poverty and supporting a robust safety net to responding to the urgent needs of the climate crisis. It also includes funding to create a pathway to U.S. citizenship for millions of immigrants in our country, which is an important reminder that elections matter.

“We at the National Immigration Law Center and our partners in the immigrant justice movement have been advocating for a pathway to citizenship for decades, and we are thrilled by today’s events. An overwhelming majority of Americans — and voters — support a pathway to citizenship for immigrants who call the U.S. home. We commend Congress for responding to the will of the American people with this crucial step forward.

“Immigrants are an essential part of our communities, not only as our family members and neighbors but also as people who have continued to show up day after day during this pandemic to keep our country going. As we enter our recovery phase, we must also recognize that there is no recovery without immigrants — and passing a pathway to citizenship through reconciliation would provide urgently needed relief and stability for millions of DACA recipients, TPS holders, farm workers, essential workers, and their loved ones.”

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