Frank Sharry: “Mr. President, this is the year, now is the time, the power is in your hands. Let’s join together to get this done.”
This Politico story is important: Biden’s open to doing immigration through reconciliation, Hispanic lawmakers say.
…During Tuesday’s meeting, members of the CHC asked for Biden’s ‘unequivocal support for immigration reforms to be included in the reconciliation package,’ said Rep. Darren Soto (D-Fla.).
Biden said that he generally ‘supports passing certain immigration reforms by reconciliation if we can’t get the 10 Republican votes,’ Soto said after the meeting, referring to the number of GOP votes needed in the Senate to meet the 60-vote threshold required for most legislation.
…If Biden’s current infrastructure plan ultimately goes through the reconciliation process and the Republican votes aren’t there for immigration, [Hispanic Caucus Chair Raul Ruiz (D-CA)] said the…Biden administration would ‘support…a pathway to citizenship through the budget reconciliation.’”
According to Ruiz, Biden expressed a ‘strong sentiment’ about getting immigration reform ‘done once and for all, through whatever means available.
According to Frank Sharry, Executive Director of America’s Voice:
President Biden’s commitment to legalize millions through whatever means available – including through budget reconciliation – significantly increases the chances of achieving a legislative breakthrough this year.
We understand that Democrats are seeking bipartisanship on the American Jobs Plan and on immigration reform. But take it from those who have shed blood for bipartisanship in the past: Republicans will feign bipartisanship, first to slow things down, and second, to justify their opposition to the legislation Democrats move forward. If they produced zero votes for COVID relief, how many votes do you think they’ll produce for citizenship bills?
President Biden and the Democrats should be prepared to blow past bad faith GOP tactics and use every tool and every ounce of power to deliver long overdue breakthroughs. Failure is not an option. Excuses won’t be sufficient. Democrats will be judged by one standard: ‘did you get it done or not?’
Currently, most undocumented workers are considered ‘essential’ and ‘deportable.’ Undocumented workers risked, and in many cases, lost their lives helping Americans survive the pandemic. They are essential to our economic recovery and they should be formally recognized as the Americans they already are.
Mr. President, this is the year, now is the time, the power is in your hands. Let’s join together to get this done.
