Phoenix, Arizona – Immigrants and allies from United We Dream Action and Living United for Change in Arizona (LUCHA), alongside partners from the We Are Home Arizona Coalition, are ramping up efforts across Arizona to win citizenship for immigrant youth, TPS holders, farm workers, and other essential workers this year. This comes after weeks of phone banking and door knocking demanding Senators Sinema and Kelly support passage of citizenship for millions of undocumented people.
Through August and September, UWDA and LUCHA aim to reach 30,000 Arizonans through phone banking and mass canvassing mobilizations in an effort to demand Senators Sinema and Kelly go big and deliver what the vast majority of their constituents support: citizenship for millions. Whether through reconciliation or filibuster reform, Democrats have no excuse but to deliver permanent protections and other key legislative priorities for millions of people this year.
César Torres, Immigration Campaign Manager of Living United for Change in Arizona (LUCHA), said:
“In 2020, while in the middle of a pandemic, our leaders put on masks and face shields and took to the streets to talk to hundreds of thousands of voters to make sure we could flip Arizona blue. Our communities delivered for Senator Sinema and Kelly and now it’s time for them to deliver for us. Arizona has always been on the frontlines to fight for all immigrant communities and we are ready to ramp up our efforts to win permanent protection for our families alongside United We Dream Action and many other local partners. Now is the time to pass a pathway to citizenship, and we have a special opportunity to urge Democrats to get this done through reconciliation. Together we will work to ensure we maintain the pressure on the Senate and work for a united Arizona.”
Greisa Martinez Rosas, Executive Director of United We Dream Action, said:
“For years, Black, brown, and immigrant communities in Arizona fought back against Republicans’ anti-immigrant attacks and led key voter initiatives on the ground to put Senators Sinema and Kelly in office. Now, we’re raising the heat to demand they deliver for our communities. Senate Democrats have a critical opportunity to deliver meaningful immigration legislation and must be adamant in only moving forward with a reconciliation package that includes citizenship for millions.
Black, brown, queer, and immigrant communities worked tirelessly to elect both Senator Sinema and Kelly, and our organizing efforts – led by fearless organizations like LUCHA – were instrumental in their victories. With 2020 polling showing that 86 percent of Arizonans across party lines support a path to citizenship, it’s past time Senators Sinema and Kelly listen to their constituents and deliver permanent protections for millions of immigrants this year through reconciliation. We’re holding nothing back in demanding Senators Sinema and Kelly show up and deliver. No excuses.”