Washington D.C.– In the face of increasingly violent and unlawful attacks against immigrants, members of Congress in the House reintroduced a version of the “Dignity Act” last week that would altogether remove any hope of citizenship for millions of undocumented people who have helped to build and power this country.
The latest version of the bill worsens already-harmful provisions from the 2023 version of “Dignity Act” which included an arbitrarily prolonged pathway to citizenship of 13 years for people who have called the U.S. home for decades. Yet, this latest version would deny millions of people a pathway to citizenship, while keeping tens of thousands of our loved ones and community members locked away in privately-owned detention systems.
In response to the bill’s re-introduction, United We Dream released the following statement:
“The vast majority of Americans support a pathway to citizenship and 80 percent firmly understand immigration to be one of our country’s greatest strengths. Yet, instead of being laser-focused on delivering permanent and lasting protections for millions, Congress couldn’t even spend the time drafting a new bill to meet this moment. Instead, they made cuts to an old bill that fails to permanently protect our communities from mass militarized raids, unidentified police kidnappings, and the devastating consequences of the latest reconciliation bill. The ‘Dignity Act’ might proclaim dignity in title, but fails outright to urgently protect millions from the dire, existential threats of this moment.
Working people across the country urgently need and want healthcare and education for all, access to life-saving food assistance programs, and a straightforward and attainable pathway to citizenship for immigrants. Congress can and must offer bold solutions that unapologetically turn the tides to protect the lives and rights of all working people. As immigrants and workers who power this country, we call on Congress to reject bills that only offer breadcrumbs and instead pass tangible, genuine, and popular solutions like the bipartisan Dream and Promise Act, which help people without hurting people.”
