Sen. Bernie Sanders announced this week that Senate Democrats would be seeking to include a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants in their infrastructure proposal, the Los Angeles Times reports. It’s not yet clear which immigrants would be eligible, nor is there a guarantee of a path to citizenship will make it into the final reconciliation package. But advocates who have been pushing Democrats to go it alone on immigration following Republican inaction declared, “game on.”
“Here we go,” said America’s Voice Executive Director Frank Sharry. “For months, the immigrant justice movement has sought a path to victory on citizenship legislation that relies on the strong support of Democratic champions and not the bad faith of Republican pretenders. That path is now opening up as Democrats move to develop a human infrastructure bill that includes jobs, care, climate and citizenship and can pass the Senate with 51 votes.”
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The LA Times reported that “[a]n early draft would call for $150 billion to go toward immigration policies, including the path to citizenship and some border security, according to a document circulating on Capitol Hill.” As to who would be covered, Sanders replied, “[w]e’re working on that right now,” the report said. The House has previously passed a pathway to citizenship for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients, Temporary Protected Status holders, and some essential workers.
On Thursday, more than 1,000 people from a diverse coalition of groups marched on Washington, D.C. to demand legislators act on bold proposals, including a pathway to citizenship (Sanders was among the speakers at this event). In Virginia this week, advocates also called on Democratic Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner to use reconciliation to protect undocumented communities, saying “we need their leadership to be outspoken,” Virginia Mercury reported. While the report said that “Warner has said he’s supportive of the bill but has not commented specifically on reconciliation,” Kaine said reconciliation would be a possibility for him if Republicans continue to roadblock immigration (and they will).
“We are currently having good-faith discussions with our Republican colleagues to see if we can get to a bipartisan immigration bill with 60 votes,” Kaine said according to the report. “However, if Republicans do not want to provide much needed relief to Dreamers, TPS holders, and other immigrants who helped our country through the pandemic, then Democrats will need to consider using reconciliation to move forward.”
Hundreds also rallied in New Jersey to similarly press Democratic Sens. Robert Menendez and Cory Booker. The LA Times reports that Menendez said Democrats “prefer a bipartisan agreement even if it’s not everything we’d like to see. But in the absence of doing that, then those of us who believe in immigration reform feel that we have to at least pursue [reconciliation] and see if it’s viable.” America’s Voice noted a number of other Senate Democrats have also said they’re prepared to use reconciliation to a pass a path to citizenship, including Patty Murray and Alex Padilla.
A recent study has touted the strong economic benefits the nation would gain from immigration reform, and experts have cited “strong historical precedent” for passing an immigration proposal through reconciliation. “This has been done through reconciliation before, it should be able to pass the Byrd Rule test, and brings huge economic benefits to the nation as a whole and to ordinary Americans,” tweeted Dr. Phil Wolgin, managing director of immigration policy at Center for American Progress (check out his thread here). “It's past time for citizenship.”
Following Thursday’s rally in Washington, D.C., We Are Home Campaign Director Bridgette Gomez said “[t]he momentum is behind us.”
“In an incredible display of power, thousands of people made their voices heard loud and clear, calling on Congress to act now on the issues that impact millions of Americans,” Gomez said in a statement received by Daily Kos. “Members of Congress must use every tool at their disposal to ensure the change millions of people voted for in 2020, and we commend Sen. Sanders for including immigration with his reconciliation budget.” This is the year to finally pass a path to citizenship for undocumented communities. Let’s do this.