Español
News
09.20.2021

The Senate parliamentarian shouldn’t have the last word on citizenship for millions. Time for Democrats to lead.

(San Antonio, Texas) — Yesterday, the Senate parliamentarian recommended that the legalization portion of the reconciliation package, which includes a path to citizenship for Dreamers, TPS holders, and Essential Workers should not be included in the budget reconciliation bill that Congress will vote on before the end of the month. Erika Andiola, Chief Advocacy Officer for RAICES released the following statement in response.

“We are disappointed to hear this news, but we know that this fight is far from over. We have spent decades fighting for a path to legalization for all undocumented immigrants in this country. We are not giving up now. Democrats in Congress can still keep their promise, without compromising on increased enforcement.

“We expect them to use all the tools to get this done:

  1. Democrats can rework the legalization language and resubmit to the Parliamentarian;
  2. Vice President Harris can overrule the parliamentarian;
  3. The Senate leadership can fire the parliamentarian;
  4. Democrats can end the filibuster; and
  5. President Biden can use his power to end the detention and deportation machine.
“Millions of people in this country have lived in the shadows for too long. Regardless of how much immigrants contribute to our communities, especially during the pandemic, we are often left behind and continuously targeted by ICE, detained and deported. We are punished and separated from loved ones just for wanting to put food on the table for our families.

“We can’t accept any more excuses. RAICES strongly urges President Biden and Democrats in Congress to keep their promise and use all the tools at their disposal to protect millions of undocumented people this year.”

Contact:
Jessica Ortiz
[email protected]

X