20 JANUARY 2021

Immigration Hub: Biden-Harris Immigration Proposal is Critical to America’s Recovery

WASHINGTON, D.C.— Today, President Joe Biden unveiled landmark legislation to legalize 11 million undocumented people living in the United States, the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021. In response to the historic proposal, Kerri Talbot, Deputy Director of the Immigration Hub, issued the following statement:

“Within hours of taking the oath of office, President Joe Biden began the work of healing our nation from division and unveiled the most impactful immigration proposal in recent history. In a dramatic reversal of the previous administration’s anti-immigrant agenda, the U.S. Citizenship Act would extend legal status and citizenship to 11 million of our friends, family and neighbors. Providing a path to citizenship for immigrant frontline workers, Dreamers, those with Temporary Protected Status and millions of families is not only overdue, but is critical to our country’s economic recovery. Notably, the bill unveiled today prioritizes keeping families together and does not include draconian enforcement initiatives traditionally included in past immigration reform proposals. 

“The American public has long been in favor of a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants– with a recent support margin of 60% to 33% among swing state voters. Even long before the pandemic, immigrants were essential to just about every sector of our economy and they have continued to make critical contributions as frontline workers during these difficult times. Business leaders, faith communities and local elected officials across the political spectrum recognize that allowing all families to live freely and fully contribute to their communities is essential to ‘Build Back Better’ and get our country on the path to recovery.

“We welcome this important step forward by the Biden-Harris administration and we look forward to working with them as well as the Congress to make this proposal a reality. This is just the beginning of a long road to truly reform our immigration system to one built on core American values of humanity and fairness.”

The U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 incorporates critical steps to reset the country’s immigration system:

  • Establishing an earned path to citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants and an expedited path to citizenship for Dreamers, individuals with Temporary Protected Status and farmworkers.

  • Addressing the root causes of migration and strengthening humanitarian responses in the Western Hemisphere.

  • Expanding refugee and asylum processing and improving immigration courts.

  • Managing the border and protecting border communities.

  • Reforming the immigrant visa system and promoting family reunification.

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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.