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Office Hours: Looking Ahead to Upcoming Vote on Path to Citizenship Bills Next Week

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You can listen to a recording of the call here

 

Earlier today, Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA), advocates, public opinion researchers and a DACA recipient gathered on a call to discuss the upcoming votes next week in the House on legislative proposals to create pathways to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. As speakers addressed their hopes for and support of the Dream & Promise Act (HR 6) and the Farm Workforce Modernization Act (HR 1603), speakers also addressed new polling for FWD.us and America’s Voice that illustrates the strong public support for this legislation. 

“House Democrats are committed to delivering lasting reform to ensure Dreamers, TPS holders and essential workers who have proven to be invaluable members of our communities will no longer have to fear deportation or separation from their families. The American people strongly support these reforms, and under the leadership of the Biden Administration I’m confident we’ll be able to see them through,” said Congressman Pete Aguilar, Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus. 

Marissa Molina, DACA recipient and Colorado State Immigration Director at FWD.us, said, “Congress has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to allow Dreamers and TPS holders the ability to earn citizenship and honor our long-standing contributions to Colorado. Coloradan immigrants are a critical part of our state’s continued economic and health recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, and we deserve the opportunity to live without fear in the country we call home. I am hopeful that Congress will vote in support of the American Dream and Promise Act, and take action to represent a majority of Americans who support a pathway to citizenship for undocumented people like me.

Nick Gourevitch, Partner and Managing Director, Research, Global Strategy Group (GSG), said, “We’ve recently conducted a poll for FWD.us and America’s Voice on immigration reform facing Congress at the moment. What we saw was that immigration issues, which are often presented as divisive issues, are actually consensus proposals. 

The approach of providing pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants is a far more preferred approach, even for Republicans, to deporting them. People overwhelmingly prefer a pathway to citizenship rather than deportation as a solution to these issues. We focused on a variety of immigration proposals facing Congress including the Dream Act, citizenship for farmworkers and undocumented essential workers, extending work permits for TPS holders and our data found that they are across the board very popular.”

Matt Barreto, Co-founder, BSP Research, said, “The American public is quite clear in their strong support for fixing our immigration system. For the past 15 years, Republicans have blocked numerous attempts to reform the immigration system and today there is a clear chance to take action. Voters do not want undocumented immigrants to remain in limbo, at risk of deportation. There is overwhelming support for creating a pathway to citizenship, and to do that now. Republicans tried very hard to run an anti-immigrant campaign in 2018 with racialized attacks on Latin American migrants and it did not work, their anti-immigrant agenda was defeated in 2018 and they would be wise to support a welcoming approach to fixing the immigration system today.”