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Statement

Moms Tell Lawmakers: Ignore the Senate Parliamentarian and Create a Path to Citizenship Now

December 17, 2021
Immigration

Lisa Lederer, 202/371-1996

Statement of Claudia Tristán, Immigration Campaign Director at MomsRising, the online and on-the-ground organization of more than one million mothers and their families, on the imperative for Congress to create a path to citizenship for essential and care workers:

“It is time for Congress to create a path to citizenship for the millions of undocumented people who contribute every day to our communities and our economy and who have suffered for much too long without one. Last night’s opinion from the U.S. Senate parliamentarian is another disappointment, but it should not determine what happens next. The parliamentarian works for elected officials, not the other way around. Her advice is just that — advice. The vast majority of Americans strongly support a path to citizenship and creating one is long, long overdue. Lawmakers must provide permanent protections and a path to citizenship for Dreamers, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders, farm workers, and essential workers early next year. It is truly immoral to continue forcing millions of immigrants to live in limbo, in fear of being separated from their families and deported.

“America’s moms want lawmakers to create a path to citizenship, adopt a fair immigration process that respects the human rights of all children and families, keep families together, and treat every asylum-seeker fairly and with dignity and respect. Quite simply, lawmakers need to get this done.”

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MomsRising.org is an on-the-ground and online grassroots organization of more than a million people who are working to increase family economic security, decrease discrimination against women and moms, and to build a nation where businesses and families can thrive. Established in 2006, MomsRising and its members are organizing and speaking out to improve public policy and to change the national dialogue on issues that are critically important to America’s families, including criminal justice reform, immigration policy reform, and gun safety. MomsRising is working for paid family and medical leave, affordable, high quality childcare and early learning, and for an end to the wage and hiring discrimination which penalizes women — particularly moms and women of color — and so many others. MomsRising advocates for access to healthy food for all kids, health care for all, earned sick days, and breastfeeding rights so that all children can have a healthy start. MomsRising maintains a Spanish language website: MamásConPoder.org. Sign up online at www.MomsRising.org — and follow us on our blog, and on Twitter and Facebook.