“The inclusion of these protections is not just a necessity for economic recovery, it is a matter of economic and racial justice for the communities most vulnerable to the crisis and left out of previous aid packages,” they added.
The Biden government and Democrats on Capitol Hill said that approving a comprehensive immigration reform bill is one of their top priorities. But they recognized that the main objective is progress, so they are open to moving parts of the reform through Congress in a fragmented way, while pushing for a major bill. Defenders of immigrants have supported the existence of several avenues for immigration reform.
“It does not mean that we are not going to fight for [a pathway to citizenship for] 11 million, that we are not going to fight to restructure our immigration system. It means that members of Congress understand that now, like us, that promise must be fulfilled with action … and concrete action at this point is to legalize essential workers as part of the economic recovery, “said Lorella Praeli, president of the Change Action Community, a progressive grassroots group and co-president of the We Are Home campaign, a national campaign for immigrant justice.
More than 100 advocacy groups involved in the We Are Home campaign urged lawmakers to push for the inclusion of legal protections in Covid’s aid package. It remains to be seen whether Pelosi and Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer will agree to include him if they go through the reconciliation process.
The road to citizenship would apply to some five million undocumented immigrants who are essential workers. Including protections for essential workers is part of ensuring that “our country gets back on track as soon as possible,” said CHC President Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.).
Meanwhile, Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), former president of the CHC, is working on a stand-alone bill that would allow undocumented essential workers to apply for permanent resident status. According to the bill, these workers would be eligible to apply for citizenship in five years.
Castro said on Saturday that he is “optimistic that this priority for the Hispanic Caucus Congress will be included in COVID’s aid package.”