Washington, D.C. – Today, House Democrats voted and passed their version of the budget reconciliation bill which includes temporary protections from the threat of deportation and work permits for millions of undocumented people. The bill, however, does not include a pathway to citizenship.
Greisa Martinez Rosas, Executive Director of United We Dream Action, said:
“The House version of Build Back Better provides crucial funding to address some of the existential threats of our time, including funding to help combat the climate crisis, the child tax credit, and work permits and protections from deportation. A broad multi-racial coalition led by Black and brown, and young people, showed up to change the direction of our country to help make passage of this monumental legislation through the House possible.
Our community deserves immediate protections, yet these protections must also be made permanent. Unfortunately, this bill falls short by failing to deliver permanent protections in the form of a pathway to citizenship for undocumented people like me and the members of United We Dream Action. The urgency of this moment cannot be overstated. Over 1.2 million people have been expelled and deported under the Biden administration, while tens of thousands of immigrant youth remain barred from applying for DACA, a program that remains at risk in the courts.
For these reasons and more, immigrant youth and allies have taken action all year to demand that Democrats follow through on their promise to deliver permanent relief in the form of citizenship. We know temporary protections will always leave us vulnerable to detention and deportation. We will continue to demand Senate Democrats meet the urgency of this moment and disregard the parliamentarian to ensure that citizenship for millions is included in their version of the reconciliation bill. Lives are at risk, Democrats must deliver. There are no excuses!”