10 SEP 2021
Hub Highlights: Support Grows for Immigration Moving Forward in Budget Reconciliation
Washington, DC — Today, as reported in the media, the Senate Parliamentarian met with Democratic and Republican staffers to hear arguments on the inclusion of immigration proposals in budget reconciliation, an important step to fulfilling the will of a vast majority of Americans of both parties.
This comes after a week of overwhelming support from elected officials across the country who have called for pathways to citizenship for Dreamers, farm workers,Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders, and essential workers via budget reconciliation, as well as desperate and divisive Republican misinformation campaigns in reaction.
“Democrats have a historic opportunity at hand to pass critical and long-overdue legislation on immigration by creating a path to citizenship for our Dreamers, farm workers, TPS holders and essential workers, who are part of our communities,” stated Sergio Gonzales, Executive Director of the Immigration Hub. “Meanwhile, Republicans are using the same tired, anti-immigrant rhetoric as they continue to stand in the way of progress. GOP leaders continue to proudly carry the racist, divisive banner of Donald Trump rather than doing what is in the best interest of our country. By enacting a pathway to citizenship, Congress can add a $1.5 trillion boost to our GDP over ten years, in addition to the creation of 400,000 new jobs. It’s an economic imperative, it’s what the majority of Democrat and Republican voters want, and it’s simply the right thing to do. Today’s review of the inclusion of immigration reform in the reconciliation bill by the Parliamentarian is just an important step in the process to finally bring justice to immigrant communities across America. We are confident that Democratic leaders are prepared to move us forward and will use every tool at their disposal to do so.”
Highlights to follow this week:
New Report: GOP Revs Up Anti-Immigrant Ads and Misinformation in Lead Up to 2022. Yesterday, the Immigration Hub and America's Voice released a new report exposing the volume and impact of Republican and right-wing ad campaigns and online content, including the results of a battleground study where a GOP ad was put to the test among swing voters. Tracking showed Republicans and their allies have deployed over 700 unique paid ads, displayed 52.6 million times on voters’ social media feeds across different platforms - including 623 unique anti-immigrant Facebook ads pushing the “border crisis” narrative since March, spending upwards of $592,000. Findings also include results of a new study measuring the impact of GOP and pro-immigrant ads with battleground voters that show how Democrats still hold an advantage on immigration by going on offense with a pathway to citizenship and other immigrant solutions. See full report.
100+ Mayors Across 30 States Urge White House and Congressional Leaders to Deliver Citizenship Via Budget Reconciliation. Yesterday, 104 mayors sent a letter to President Biden, Vice President Harris, Majority Leader Schumer, and Speaker Pelosi calling for pathways to citizenship for Dreamers, farm workers, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders, and essential workers via budget reconciliation. This builds on a previous letter over the summer, but with an additional 20 mayors who signed-on as immigration proposals are being considered on the Hill in the coming weeks. In the letter, the mayors cited the positive economic impacts in their towns and cities, as well as the ability to support immigrants who have and will continue to fuel our collective recovery from the COVID-19 crisis.
More than 700 local officials call for immigration in the reconciliation bill. In addition to the mayoral letter this week, more than 700 mayors, council members, school board members and other local officials from across the U.S. are calling on Democratic lawmakers and President Biden to include immigration solutions in federal budget reconciliation, The Hill’s Rafael Bernal reports. "Providing a path to citizenship for [Dreamers, TPS recipients and their families] not only recognizes the sacrifices they have made for all Americans over the past year, but also the important role they continue to play in America’s economic recovery and long-term global competitiveness," the group wrote in a Wednesday letter.
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The Immigration Hub is a national organization dedicated to advancing fair and just immigration policies through strategic leadership, innovative communications strategies, legislative advocacy and collaborative partnerships.