Washington, D.C,— Last week, the Home Is Here Coalition, along with directly impacted individuals from around the country, participated in a week-long action urging Congress to pass citizenship legislation this year! This comes as a critical time as Republicans are slated to take control of the House of Representatives next year.
The week-long action started on Tuesday, with local, state and national organizations signing on a letter to Congress demanding protections for immigrant youth & DACA recipients in the end-of-year package. DACA recipients also met with White House Senior Advisor Julie Rodriguez and others to sound the alarm about the threat to DACA and urge President Biden to be vocal about his support for Congress to pass citizenship this year.
You can find videos and photos here. All credit to United We Dream.
Wednesday directly impacted youth held a Senate Lobby Day where they met with their respective Congress members. The Home is Here Coalition also joined key pro-immigrant leaders such as, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois, and U.S. Senator Menendez of New Jersey, Nevada Senator Cortez Masto, and Senator Padilla of California for a press conference on their commitment to getting something done this year..
On Thursday, immigrant youth and allies marched and rallied around the Capitol demanding Congress to take action on the need to pass a pathway to citizenship this year. The week-long action ends on Friday where immigrant youth and allies will rally in Manhattan in front of the office of Senator Chuck Schumer, stating that the “clock is ticking” for Congress members to pass permanent legislation.
Bruna Sollod, Senior Communications and Political Director for United We Dream Action, said:
“Last week’s White House meeting and the actions from directly impacted folks and allies is us sounding the alarm — we cannot live in limbo any longer. Results from the midterm elections have shown us that pro-immigrant policies are winning issues. For years polling has consistently shown that the American people want us to deliver a path to citizenship for immigrant youth, TPS holders, farmworkers and more! Our livelihoods are at stake and Congress members must use the lame duck session to pass permanent protections.”
Kelvin Santacruz, DACA Recipient and member of United We Dream from New York, said:
“I know all too well the power of opportunity. Growing up in Los Angeles my mother worked at a psychiatric hospital and would take multiple buses early in the morning to get to work, and my dad worked as a mechanic. My parents worked hard so my younger siblings and I could have better opportunities. Having graduated from Georgetown last year, and gotten a dream job in tech in New York City feels emblematic of the opportunities my parents were able to give me, but my DACA status makes it all feel fleeting, knowing at any moment a wayward court could throw it all into disarray. While I have DACA, my younger brother was too young to apply before first-time applications were stopped, and I have seen the opportunities he’s had been diminished or completely taken away because of his status. In today’s meeting with White House Adviser Julie Rodriquez I made clear that enough was enough – it’s been too long of this back and forth and lack of opportunities for me, my brothers, and others like us. We need President Biden to make passing citizenship this year his top priority.”
