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No More Delay:
Positive Immigration Reform Needed Today
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No More Delay: Positive Immigration Reform Needed Today
JFI Colleagues and Supporters:
It's been almost five months since a bipartisan majority in the U.S. House of Representatives
passed the:

* American Dream and Promise Act (H.R. 6) [[link removed]],
which would provide legal status with a path to citizenship for millions of Dreamers,
Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders, and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED)
recipients; and
* Farm Workforce Modernization Act (H.R. 1603) [[link removed]],
which would create an earned legal status program for undocumented agricultural
workers and improve the existing H-2A temporary agricultural program.
Both bills were supported [[link removed]]
by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Unfortunately, neither has moved forward
in the Senate. In the meantime, a July 16 ruling [[link removed]]
by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas has blocked new DACA
applicants from receiving relief and seriously threatens future protection for current
DACA recipients.
As Catholics, we are committed to upholding the God-given dignity of every person.
It is contrary to Catholic teaching to have a "double society", one "visible" with
rights and one "invisible" without rights, unable to fully integrate. This is especially
true when so many have committed themselves to the wellbeing of others and are simultaneously
excluded from programs and denied rights afforded to citizens, as we've seen throughout
the COVID-19 pandemic. This is to say nothing of the billions of dollars in federal,
state, and local taxes paid by undocumented immigrants or the large economic impact
they have on our communities.
WHAT'S NEXT?
American Catholics have been working toward immigration reform for decades, and
it's long overdue. The 117th Congress now has an opportunity to address immigration
in a positive, productive, and forward-looking way. Last week, the Senate adopted
a budget resolution [[link removed]]
that paves the way for a reconciliation bill. The resolution includes instructions
for the Committee on the Judiciary to draft language providing "lawful permanent
status for qualified immigrants." Reconciliation only requires a simple majority
of 51 votes in the Senate, assuming certain other conditions are met. This was the
same mechanism used to pass the American Rescue Plan in March. With the budget resolution
adopted in the Senate-which the House will also have to adopt in the coming weeks-Senate
committees can now begin drafting the text of the budget reconciliation bill itself.

Bipartisan passage of the American Dream and Promise Act and Farm Workforce Modernization
Act in the Senate would be preferable. However, since the Senate has not been able
to move those bills forward as standalone measures, it should include them in the
budget reconciliation bill. This might be the best opportunity we'll have for the
foreseeable future to secure legal status with a path to citizenship for Dreamers,
TPS/DED holders, migrant agricultural workers, and other undocumented essential
workers.
TAKE ACTION!

Contact Your Senators and Representative Today

We need your help to tell Congress NO MORE DELAY! Urge your senators and representative
to support the enactment of immigration reform this year by completing these action
alerts:

Complete the SENATE action alert [[link removed]]
Complete the HOUSE action alert [[link removed]]

Meet with Lawmakers

During the August recess, meet with congressional lawmakers and their staff to voice
your support for positive immigration reform. Below are resources to assist with
this:

* Talking Points on Immigration Reform [[link removed]]
* Backgrounder on Immigration Reform [[link removed]]
(can also serve as a leave-behind for meetings)
* Congressional Advocacy: Planning Your Virtual Visit

* English [[link removed]]
* Espa [[link removed]]ñ
[[link removed]]ol
[[link removed]]
* Find Your Representative and Senators [[link removed]]
Other Actions

1. Write a letter to the editor. You can use this sample letter [[link removed]]
to get started.
2. Pray:

* Suggested Intersessions [[link removed]]
* Prayer for an Ever Wide "We" [[link removed]]
3. Encourage others. Share these resources with others and encourage them to advocate
on behalf of our migrant brothers and sisters!

For more migration-related resources, please visit www.justiceforimmigrants.org
[[link removed]].
Many thanks,
Tony Cube
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3211 Fourth Street, NE Washington, DC 20017
Phone: (202) 541-3165 Fax: (202) 722-8711
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