Dear Friend, One month ago, on Inauguration Day, many of us breathed a sigh of relief as Joe Biden was sworn in as our 46th president and we welcomed the promise of a more inclusive future for America. President Biden has wasted no time in issuing several pro-immigrant executive orders and leading the introduction of a landmark bill that creates a pathway to U.S. citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants whose home is here. This was made possible by years of advocacy by immigrants — including courageous DACA recipients — as well as immigrant justice organizations and many other progressive allies, including you, our supporters. Earlier this week, the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 was introduced in Congress. In addition to creating a pathway to citizenship, the bill begins to address some of the root causes of migration, would strengthen protections for all workers, and would remove the dehumanizing term “alien” from the immigration statute. Here’s a clip of my interview on MSNBC discussing the bill. |
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While there is much to celebrate in the bill, there are some notable ways it falls short. Even as the pandemic has shown us that our collective health and well-being depends on full immigrant inclusion, Congress continues to exclude immigrant families from crucial access to health care and public benefits. We will continue to urge members of Congress to enact a fully inclusive bill that provides essential members of our communities the freedom to thrive. In fact, you can take action here. We know this is just the beginning in the long road toward undoing the cruel and inhumane immigration policies of the last four years. We now have an enormous opportunity ahead to work with the new administration to change our country’s trajectory for the better. Thanks to your loyal support, we are ready to meet this opportunity to build a 21st century immigration system that is rooted in racial, economic, and gender justice and equity. With your continued partnership, we look forward to building a nation that understands that immigrants are essential to our history and our future. Thank you for your partnership in the work ahead! Gracias, Marielena Hincapié
Executive Director
National Immigration Law Center |
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