Dear John,

As we celebrate our nation’s anniversary today, you have an opportunity to fuel the NYIC’s work to create change for the 12 million people who are American in every way but in legal status. Those with Temporary Protected Status (TPS holders), Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA recipients), and undocumented people are our nurses, lawyers, small business owners, cooks, delivery workers and so much more. They live as neighbors, friends, and families in our communities. Unlike many of us, however, they also live in a state of constant fear of being separated from their families without a way to permanently secure legal status in America.

Not once in the 21st century has Congress managed to send a comprehensive immigration bill to the president’s desk. The legacy of that inaction is seen in factories and farms, where our undocumented neighbors work grueling jobs for low wages and with few labor protections; in the growing backlog of asylum cases that have yet to appear before an immigration judge; and in the uncertainty at the border after this year’s expiration of pandemic-era restrictions on entry.

President Biden promised on his campaign trail that he would prioritize a pathway to citizenship for all 12 million people who are currently living without the security they need to thrive. As another election year approaches, and with a divided Congress, our dreams for a future where all of us have a roadmap to safety and stability will recede if you don’t act. Can you make a donation now?

We will not give up until all immigrants have the same liberties and rights as the rest of us. Can you make a gift this independence day to fuel our fight for a more equitable New York?

Murad Awawdeh
Executive Director