Contact Maine’s Congressional Delegation: Demand Pathway to Citizenship

September 2021

This month, the Senate parliamentarian - an unelected Senate staff attorney - issued two rulings saying that pathways to citizenship for undocumented immigrants cannot be included as part of the budget reconciliation package. Budget reconciliation is a process used in the Senate to avoid the Senate filibuster and pass legislation with a simple majority.

Most Americans, across the political spectrum, support a pathway to citizenship for undocumented people in the United States. 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.

ILAP is deeply disappointed in the Senate parliamentarian’s rulings. These decisions are 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 the past. This is a setback, but not the end of this 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.

Hear from Ilma Lopez, a small-business owner and an immigrant mother, about why this legislation is so important and read ILAP Board member Andi Summers' Letter to the Editor about its importance for Dreamers.

Call Maine’s Congressional Delegation today to tell them you demand citizenship NOW:

Senator Susan Collins: 📞 (202) 224-2523 📩 www.collins.senate.gov/contact

Senator Angus King: 📞 (202) 224-5344 📩 www.king.senate.gov/contact

Rep. Chellie Pingree: 📞 (202) 225-6116 📩 https://pingree.house.gov/contact/

Rep. Jared Golden: 📞 (202) 225-6306 📩 https://golden.house.gov/contact

If you live outside of Maine, you can find your representatives here