Members of Congress:
We have put our immigrant community through enough political roller coasters. We must give DACA recipients, essential workers, and TPS holders a pathway to citizenship in the next infrastructure and recovery package.
Immigrants are such a vital part of our essential workforce every day, as well as of our communities, and this has become especially apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic. Immigrants have put their lives on the line to keep our health care system and our economy going, and are essential not only to our communities and families, but also to America’s recovery. The roles of immigrants in our communities are critical to building a strong care infrastructure, and supporting families and mothers trying to return to work.
Dreamers make up nearly one million of those who have served on the frontlines of this pandemic and they need a pathway to citizenship. Leaving the immigrant community to wait through uncertainty is harmful for all of our communities and our economy. Immigrants are essential to our country, communities, and economy and Americans know this. Roughly 75 percent of Americans believe all immigrants should have a path to stay in the U.S. legally.
Including a pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients, essential workers, and TPS holders in the next infrastructure and recovery package is necessary to offer stability to those who have worked so hard to keep our country afloat and to build the care infrastructure that our families, communities and our economy so urgently need for parents to return to work. Moreover, creating a path to citizenship for immigrants is expected to boost our GDP by $1.5 trillions and help create over 400,000 new jobs over 10 years.