Washington, D.C. – As Congressional negotiations continue over President Biden’s Build Back Better plan, a group of House Moderate Democrats are choosing to block a pathway to citizenship from being included in their version of the reconciliation bill.
Juliana Macedo do Nascimento, Senior Advocacy Manager of United We Dream Action, said:
“For months, moderate Democrats have been talking out of both sides of their mouth. In one breath, they’ve declared immigrants as essential to our country’s recovery. Yet, the moment it is time to put their words into action to ensure millions of undocumented workers, parents, students, and families receive lifelong access to healthcare, stable employment, and permanent relief from the threat of detention and deportation separation, they’ve cowered.
Earlier this year Democrats in the House passed two bills which would put millions of people on a pathway to citizenship. They are perfectly capable of leading with bold, permanent solutions in their version of the reconciliation bill that includes everyone. Only having temporary relief leaves undocumented communities vulnerable to the grips of ICE and CBP. Over a million people have been deported and expelled under Biden’s watch, all while tens of thousands of immigrant youth remain barred from applying for DACA, and DACA continues to be at risk in the courts.
Democrats in the House must be as bold as possible to continue fighting for solutions for immigrants. To truly Build Back Better, Democrats in the House must include a pathway to citizenship in their budget reconciliation – to give us every opportunity to get the Senate to follow suit.”