A PATH FORWARD FOR immigrant Families IN AMERICA

For too long, America has waited for an immigration solution to a broken system that has left millions of hard-working immigrants in the U.S. without a path to citizenship. The contributions of immigrant workers have fueled the nation’s economic comeback after the pandemic, and yet local elected officials, economic experts and business leaders are pointing to critical labor shortages and the need to invest in America’s present and future workforce. While former President Donald Trump is campaigning on extremist intentions to round up and deport immigrants en masse if re-elected, the American public continues to support a pathway to citizenship for long-settled immigrants families in the U.S. A growing chorus of national and local elected leaders, civil society and labor groups, and business voices are calling on the Biden administration to deliver immediate action. Before the end of 2024, President Biden can meet the urgency of the moment and take widely popular administrative actions to remove unnecessary barriers and offer a path to citizenship for Dreamers, caregivers, spouses of U.S. citizens, and hard-working immigrants who have long made America their home.

 
“81% of battleground voters support the creation of pathways to citizenship for immigrants who have lived in the U.S. for many years and meet certain requirements.
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Citizenship for families

Before the end of 2024, the Biden administration has the opportunity to use its executive authority to expand legal pathways for workers and families, including family caregivers, Dreamers, spouse of U.S. citizens, and other long-settled undocumented immigrant workers.

  • The administration can make a program currently on the books more accessible to thousands of long-term residents who meet the requirements of living in the U.S. for 10 years, passing criminal background checks, and having U.S. citizen or resident relatives who would face serious hardship if the applicant were removed. Many caregivers and Dreamers could be among those who qualify for work permits and eventually permanent residency if the caregiver rule were to be updated. A recent report by FWD. us estimates that 1.6 million immigrants of American families would be able to qualify, putting them on path to citizenship.

    ACTION: The Biden administration should quickly move forward with proposing and finalizing a rule, opening access to the path for America’s family caregivers to stay together.

    LEARN MORE: As part of a comprehensive “administrative relief” plan, the Biden administration must explore making relief more accessible to individuals with significant caregiver responsibilities for their American children and spouses.

  • According to The Migration Policy Institute, an estimated 1.3 million Americans are married to a spouse who is undocumented. Today, many of these immigrant spouses of American citizens, including many Dreamers, must leave the U.S. to complete their journey to a green card and they face extremely long wait periods – wait times now regularly exceed 3.5 years. On top of this, these individuals can’t apply for work permits to support themselves while they wait unlike spouses who can adjust within the U.S. It doesn’t have to be this way: the administration should explore all its options— from its parole and deferred action authorities, to amending existing work permit regulations — to allow them to work while they wait.

    ACTION: As the administration moves forward with its proposed regulation, it should, as a matter of parity, also update its work authorization regulations to allow people with pending “provisional waivers” to apply for work permits as they inch through very long backlogs. The administration could also grant parole to these families.

    LEARN MORE: An estimated 1.3 million Americans are married to a spouse who is undocumented. Another 155,000 are married to a DACA recipient. While many of these individuals may be able to petition their spouses for green cards on paper, significant procedural hurdles have made pursuing this path difficult.

  • Redesignate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for qualifying nations, including the Ramos countries, Ecuador, and DRC. Immigrants from these nations face danger and economic precarity in their home countries, and many have lived in the U.S. as taxpayers, parents of U.S. citizen children, and community members for years. The administration, keeping with popular opinion, should redesignate these and all other qualifying countries for TPS.

Elected Leaders

National and local elected leaders urge President Biden to use every tool at his disposal to provide more options for immigrants in the U.S. to access work permits and protections from deportation.

“As a welcoming city, Philadelphia has received many migrants who are eager to work and deserve to live without the fear of deportation. Their participation and inclusion in our communities is crucial for the success of our city.”
— Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney

  • 31 MAY 2023: U.S. Senators Letter on Cancellation of Removal (USCIS/EOIR respond to the Senators 07-11-23)

    26 JUN 2023: Congressional Black Caucus & Allies Letter urging the Biden administration to take action offering work permits to immigrant families in America.

    21 JUL 2023: Congressional Latino Leaders Urge the Biden Administration to Expand Parole and Work Permits for Migrants

    10 SEP 2023: 103 House Democrats Call on Biden to Protect Undocumented Immigrants

    16 NOV 2023: Reps. Jayapal, Escobar lead 84 House Reps Urging Biden to Protect Undocumented Spouses of U.S. Citizens

    26 MAR 2024: Durbin, Senate Democrats Urge President Biden To Take Executive Action To Provide Relief For Undocumented Immigrants

  • LETTER | Press Release: Cities for Action Mayors Urge Biden-Harris Admin to Grant TPS

    LETTER | Press Release: Pennsylvania Mayors Call on Biden to Take Executive Action on Immigration

    Mayor Johnson to Biden: Let Chicago’s long-term immigrants work: Chicago Tribune

  • LETTER | Press Release: Florida Electeds Call on Biden to take Executive Action on Immigration

    Illinois Leaders Urge Biden to Authorize Migrant Work Permits: Axios | Fox32 | CBS Chicago

  • LETTER | NY AG Press Release: Attorney Generals Across 18 States and Washington, DC Call on the Biden Administration to Offer Work Permits

 

civil society

Civil rights, labor, Latino and children’s advocacy organizations lead calls to President Biden, urging him to take action and authorize work permits and lawful status for long-settled and newly-arrived immigrants who are integral to American communities and local economies.

“Every child deserves the stability and peace of mind to grow up with dignity, hope, and joy, and to achieve their full potential. By streamlining cancellation of removal and explicitly centering the needs of children in the process, your agencies can help a significant number of families access long-term relief.”
— Letter from Children's Advocacy Organizations

  • LETTER | Press Release: National Urban League, NAACP, the Southern Poverty Law Center, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, Legal Defense Fund, and the Haitian Bridge Alliance sent a letter to the Biden administration to take action to protect long-standing immigrants.

  • LETTER | Featured in The Hill: UnidosUS and 23 national organizations that work to empower Hispanic communities sent a letter to Secretary Mayorkas and Attorney General Garland urging them to utilize existing authorities to provide much-needed relief, fairness, and stability to immigrant families.

    Press Release: 35 prominent Latino, civil rights, faith, and pro-immigrant groups released a blueprint outlining five critical priorities necessary for the Biden-Harris administration to advance effective and balanced immigration solutions in the final year of its term.

  • Press Release: SEIU President Mary Kay Henry and International Union of Painters and Allied Trades President James Williams called on President Biden to expand Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to meet the demands of the labor market.

  • LETTER: Center for Law and Social Policy led a letter with five other major children’s advocacy groups urging President Biden to provide relief for children in mixed-status families.

 

THE AmericaN ELECTORATE

  • April 2023 | SURVEY RESULTS: Battleground state voters want balance in their approach to immigration that includes both security and solutions for Dreamers and the undocumented

    March 2024 | SURVEY RESULTS: Battleground state voters continue to strongly support creating legal pathways for Dreamers and longtime undocumented residents as part of an overall immigration solution. Balanced messaging is the most effective way to talk about immigration.

  • September 2023 | SURVEY RESULTS: The Immigration Hub, Somos Votantes and UnidosUS Action Fund released the results of a new poll conducted by BSP Research that surveyed Latino voters in key battleground states, showing that an overwhelming majority of Latino voters favor President Biden taking swift administrative actions to provide legal pathways for undocumented immigrants, including Dreamers and other long-term residents.