Congress must pursue pathway to citizenship despite Parliamentarian’s ruling

This statement can be attributed to Julia Brown, Advocacy and Outreach Director at the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project:

PORTLAND - The majority of Americans, across the political spectrum, support a path to citizenship and immigration reform. ILAP is deeply disappointed in the Senate parliamentarian’s ruling that citizenship cannot be included in the budget reconciliation process.

This decision was wrong – reconciliation is appropriate when a bill impacts federal spending or revenue. Adding pathways to citizenship would make the United States over a trillion dollars over the next ten years. There is even precedent, as the Senate has included immigration provisions in past. This is a setback, but not the end. Regardless of which process Congress uses, now is the time to pass this legislation.

Our immigrant friends, colleagues, and neighbors have been waiting decades for meaningful immigration reform. It is unconscionable for so many families to have to check the news every day to see if their status makes them targets for family separation. These families need permanent protections, and they need them now.

We are reassured by the Majority Leader’s statement that Senate Democrats will continue to pursue pathways to permanent status in the reconciliation process. Our elected representatives must do everything in their power to ensure the inclusion of pathways to citizenship this year. This is the year, and we will keep fighting.

About the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project (ILAP): ILAP is Maine’s only state-wide immigration legal services organization. It assists 3,000 Mainers each year as they navigate the increasingly unjust U.S. immigration system to find safety from violence and persecution, keep their families together, and advance towards economic security. To learn more, please visit www.ilapmaine.org.

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