23 SEP 2021
Battleground States Mount Pressure on Democrats to Deliver A Path to Citizenship
Washington, DC — Business leaders and elected officials in Florida, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, key battleground states in the upcoming 2022 midterms, have joined a majority of voters across the U.S. demanding a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, farmworkers, TPS holders and essential workers. The growing chorus includes voices from local and state leaders as well as directly impacted immigrants, raising the stakes for Democrats as they propose an alternative option for a pathway to citizenship via reconciliation after the Senate parliamentarian’s initial disappointing decision this week.
Demand for action across all three states includes:
74 CEOs wrote to Florida members of Congress asking them to actively support a path to citizenship for Dreamers, TPS holders, farmworkers and essential workers. In her op-ed, Aida Levitan, president of The Levitan Group and a signatory, wrote, “The hospitality, agricultural and other sectors are experiencing significant labor shortages. A legal pathway for undocumented workers would enable Florida employers to legally access one of the state’s most industrious labor markets.”
Mike Fernandez, a former top GOP fundraiser, urged Senatorsincluding Marco Rubio and Rick Scott to support immigration reform through reconciliation saying, “It is economically important, morally right, and politically smart to do so.”
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf released a statement urging inclusion of a pathway to citizenship in the reconciliation bill,stating, “It is vital that this legislation create protections for Dreamers, TPS holders, and essential immigrant workers to ensure an equitable economic recovery for all communities across Pennsylvania. Providing a path to citizenship for these individuals and their families recognizes the important role they continue to play in [our] economy.”
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper spoke earlier this year at the Carolinas Flourishing immigration summit, where he underscored: “how vital the immigrant community is to our economy across the nation and right here in North Carolina.” He added, “Our immigration system is broken. Our leaders in Washington must finally take this moment and take action on comprehensive immigration reform that recognizes the valuable contributions immigrants make in their communities.”
28 mayors from all three states signed a letter to President Biden, Vice President Harris, Majority Leader Schumer, and Speaker Pelosi urging the inclusion of pathways to citizenship in any economic recovery legislation including the reconciliation bill. The letter states, “[I]t is vital that Congress enact protections for Dreamers, TPS holders, and essential immigrant workers to secure the health of our nation and to lay the foundation for an equitable economic recovery for all communities across the country.”
Steven S. Rao, the longest serving Asian American elected official in North Carolina, penned an op-ed reminding Americans “to remember the spirit of tolerance, generosity and optimism that defines us as a nation,” and added that “it’s time for our state’s representatives in Washington to do their part and pass the legislation that’s needed to support North Carolina’s businesses, give immigrants a fair shake, and get our economy growing again.”
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