Washington, D.C. – Today, United We Dream launched a new six figure paid digital ad campaign targeting President Biden and Congressional leadership to prioritize a pathway to citizenship for the over 11 million undocumented people living in the United States. The series, which includes six full length videos – and 19 digital ads that will run on streaming platforms like Hulu and Pandora as well as online on local and national news outlets like CNN and NBC – is part of an effort to highlight the additional challenges undocumented people have faced under COVID-19.
As COVID-19 continues to devastate communities across the country, claiming over 445,000 lives, Black and brown immigrants have been disproportionately impacted. All this while undocumented people have been excluded from critical pandemic relief and recovery efforts on both the federal and local levels. The ad campaign is part of United We Dream’s Undeniable campaign, and asks the viewer to make a call to President Biden, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer demanding they include a pathway to citizenship for immigrants in the a COVID relief package.
Juanita Monsalve, Senior Marketing and Creative Director of United We Dream, said:
“Full recovery from COVID-19 includes a pathway to citizenship for all 11 million undocumented people. Our communities have felt every death, every missed meal, every job loss and every eviction. No one should have to decide between paying for a doctor’s visit or paying for food for their family, and yet, the continued exclusion of undocumented immigrants from federal pandemic relief and access to citizenship is doing exactly this.
In our “Undocumented Over COVID” storytelling ad campaign, six undocumented people bravely share their story and call on President Biden, Speaker Pelosi, and Majority Leader Schumer to prioritize a pathway to citizenship for the over 11 million undocumented people living in U.S.
The reality is that COVID-19 has made life more dire for immigrant communities. Undocumented people have missed out on critical aid like survival checks – while still being subjected to the cruelty of detention, deportation and even death at the hands of ICE and CBP. That is why American recovery from COVID-19 is directly tied to the moral imperative to prioritize a pathway to citizenship for all.”
Idalia, Member of United We Dream, said:
“When COVID-19 hit, I was living at home with my parents, my brother, my grandmother and my aunt. Each of us got COVID. Without health insurance or any federal help, we depended on my dad’s income to help us survive. I didn’t know if we would make it. It all became worse when my dad lost his job, leaving my family without an income to buy food and basic necessities.
My story is one all too familiar for communities across the country. While my family’s health is slowly recovering, others have not, especially undocumented people. In order for the country to fully overcome this pandemic, immigrants must be included in all forms of recovery and relief. President Biden, Speaker Pelosi, and Leader Schumer must also prioritize a pathway to citizenship for all undocumented immigrants, including immigrant young people like me. Our lives are on the line.”
