Nationwide – This morning the Biden Administration formally introduced the U.S Citizenship Act, a comprehensive immigration reform proposal. It has been almost a decade since the last efforts to pass comprehensive immigration reform, without results. The introduction of a robust legislation proposal is long overdue. 

We urge Congress to use all legislative vehicles possible to ensure protections are passed and that vital protective legislation is not merely introduced. This is a critical moment to ensure that we will see action and our communities are not left with false promises. We cannot overlook the injustices our immigrant families continue to face each and every day. Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) holders remain in limbo and are long overdue for legal permanent residency. We have community members still in detention and immigrants, especially black immigrants, are being deported to unsafe conditions during a global pandemic. The needs are dire but we are hopeful that the Biden Administration and Congress will fulfill their moral obligation, side with voters and act now. 

CARECEN will continue to evaluate any proposals that are introduced and ensure that our community is well informed of any changes.  We are committed to doubling down to organize alongside our community members and allies to achieve accountability and secure legal status  for all of our immigrant community. 

Alexandra Morales, Policy Manager of the Central American Resource Center of LA issued the following statement:

“We applaud any efforts that seek justice for our communities, especially during these difficult moments. Time and time again, our immigrant communities have proved to be essential to this nation’s foundation. Throughout the pandemic, we have been reminded that immigrants are essential to the social and economic fabric of the United States yet continue to be excluded and marginalized. The U.S Citizenship Act is the floor and not the ceiling in the many efforts needed to fully extract xenophobic and anti-immigrant policies that have persecuted our communities throughout history and bring justice and dignity to the immigration system. The reality is that our community cannot wait any longer for protection to be secured when we continue to see our brothers and sisters remain in detention or be deported.

We need congress to urgently move forward legislation to secure protections for our immigrant communities we cannot wait any longer.

At the same time, we urge  Congress to take swift action to pass legislation to address TPS and DACA recipients whose protections continue to be in limbo pending litigation. 

Furthermore, We urge the Biden Administration to understand and drive policies informed by the root causes of forced migration and learn from the mistakes of previous administrations.

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