Washington, D.C. – Today, the Senate parliamentarian, an unelected advisor to the Senate, recommended against a proposal from Senate Democrats to include immigration protections for millions in the Senate’s version of the Build Back Better package. Regardless of the parliamentarian’s recommendation, the decision to include immigrants solely lies with President Biden, Vice President Harris, Majority Leader Schumer and all Senate Democrats.
Greisa Martinez Rosas, Executive Director of United We Dream Action, said:
“Immigrant youth and our families know exactly who we are, what we are worth, and what we deserve. This is not it. We deserve to live without the threat of being ripped from our homes and our families. We deserve to live freely, with dignity and our humanity recognized.
We are unapologetic about calling on Senate Democrats to disregard the parliamentarian and to reject this anti-democratic, white supremacist roadblock that only serves to keep Black and brown, working class people, both undocumented and documented, from being included in monumental legislation. This is a fight about racial justice.
We will not allow Democrats to cower behind today’s news or make excuses about the path forward. The last time I checked, millions of voters nationwide elected Democrats to deliver life-saving relief to communities across the country. It’s time for the Democrats to deliver on their promises; they must disregard today’s recommendation and move forward with adding citizenship to the Build Back Better package.”