FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 26, 2021
Contact: press@wearehome.us

Over 80 Mayors Across 28 States Urge White House and Congressional Leaders to Deliver Citizenship Via Budget Reconciliation

Mayors Send Letter to President Biden, VP Harris, Majority Leader Schumer and Speaker Pelosi to Pass Citizenship for Immigrant Families

WASHINGTON, DC — Today, 84 mayors across 28 states sent a letter to President Biden, Vice President Harris, Majority Leader Schumer, and Speaker Pelosi calling for pathways to citizenship for Dreamers, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders, essential workers, and their families via budget reconciliation. 

2021 is the year to deliver citizenship for Dreamers, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders, farm workers and essential workers and their families who stepped up to support the country throughout the pandemic while contributing to local economies. The latest federal ruling against Dreamers underscores the urgency to deliver a path to citizenship for Dreamers and immigrant workers via budget reconciliation. 

From Houston, TX to Scranton, PA, mayors representing some of the largest to emerging economies in the country are speaking out this week to move the momentum forward for citizenship. According a recent study by the Center for American Progress and UC Davis Global Migration Center, providing a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, TPS holders, farm workers, and essential workers would boost GDP by a cumulative total of $1.5 trillion over 10 years, create over 400,000 new jobs, and increase wages for all American workers by $600. Undocumented immigrants would also contribute an added $149 billion of spending power each year if they were U.S. citizens. This added income could result in an additional $39 billion in combined federal, payroll, state, and local taxes each year.  

Voters across the political spectrum support creating a pathway  to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. An overwhelming majority of Americans support providing a pathway to citizenship to undocumented immigrants over deporting them (79% to 21%). That includes base Republicans who prefer citizenship over deportation by a 61% to 39% margin. 

Full text of the letter from 84 mayors:

Dear President Biden, Vice President Harris, Majority Leader Schumer, and Speaker Pelosi: 

We, the undersigned mayors, respectfully request that you prioritize the inclusion of a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders, essential workers, and their families in any economic recovery legislation including through budget reconciliation. 

Today, there are an estimated 5 million undocumented immigrants working in construction, agriculture, food services and production, transportation, healthcare, and other essential industries who have risked their lives and the lives of their families to keep our nation running during one of the most challenging periods in modern history. 

As our state and local communities continue to confront a public health and economic catastrophe that has claimed more than 500,000 lives and exacerbated deep racial and economic inequities, it is vital that Congress enact protections for Dreamers, TPS holders, and essential immigrant workers to secure the health of our nation and to lay the foundation for an equitable economic recovery for all communities across the country. 

Providing a path to citizenship for these individuals and their families not only recognizes the sacrifices they have made for all Americans over the past year, but also the important role they continue to play in America’s economic recovery and long-term global competitiveness.

It’s time for Congress to act. The only way we can truly Build Back Better is to ensure that Dreamers, TPS holders, and essential workers are included in any economic recovery legislation including through budget reconciliation. 

Sincerely,

Mayor Tom Butt, Richmond, California, and 83 others