Senate Must Act Immediately to Enshrine “Deserved Dignity” In Law
Washington, DC – Leaders from the Interfaith Immigration Coalition (IIC) welcome House passage of legislation that creates a path to citizenship for farmworkers and people with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), Temporary Protected Status (TPS), Deferred Enforced Departure (DED), among some others. Now, we turn our sights to the Senate, which has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to do its part and help these bills become law.
Following are quotes from members of the IIC.
“Undocumented and under-documented immigrant people have been struggling with both the pandemic and the uncertainty of their immigration status. These bills are a first step towards a pathway to citizenship and the beginning of stability and security for the 11 million undocumented and under-documented immigrant people who are home in the United States,” said Paola Fuentes Gleghorn, Immigration and Women and Girls Campaign Coordinator at Sojourners. “Sojourners believes our immigration laws should honor the God-given dignity of every person, protect family unity, and promote thriving communities. We are calling on our members of Congress to meet the urgency and opportunity of this moment with legislation that will honor the efforts of our immigrant communities and reflect our best civic and religious values.”
“As people of faith, we believe that everyone deserves legal protection, especially dreamers, TPS holders, and farm workers,” said Scott Wright, Director of the Columban Center for Advocacy and Outreach. ”As we urge the Senate to quickly pass these bills, we remind them of what Pope Francis said to Congress during his 2015 visit: ‘Let us help others to grow, as we would like to be helped ourselves. In a word, if we want security, let us give security; if we want life, let us give life; if we want opportunities, let us provide opportunities.'”
“Franciscan Action Network welcomes the passage of the American Dream and Promise Act (H.R. 6), which will provide a permanent pathway to citizenship to over three million undocumented youth, Temporary Protected Status holders, and Deferred Enforced Departure recipients. This is a positive and welcome step to protect migrants, strengthen our economy, and keep families together,” said Stephen Schneck, Executive Director of the Franciscan Action Network. “We heed Pope Francis’ call to ‘build bridges, not walls’ and urge the Senate to act swiftly in passing the equivalent bills to help our vulnerable immigrant brothers and sisters.”
Said Peniel Ibe, policy and engagement coordinator with American Friends Service Committee and Co-Chair of the IIC: “Passage of H.R. 6 is due to the tireless advocacy of our immigrant communities, advocates, and allies. DACA, TPS and DED holders have lived in limbo for too long and we celebrate their resilience in this journey. The protections included in this bill are long overdue. But while our community has worked hard time and time again to pass legislation that protects us, without hurting us, we have not seen the same commitment from our Members of Congress. We hoped that our representatives would work to improve this bill by removing the grounds of exclusion that compound the complex barriers to relief for applicants who have had contact with the criminal legal system. The systemic inequities that result in over-policing, profiling, and labeling black youth and youth of color are real and cannot be swept under the rug. We pray for a day when the criminalization of immigrant communities is not embraced by our elected officials. Now this bill moves to the Senate, we are calling on Senators to show leadership and improve this bill so that the criminalization of immigrants doesn’t become further entrenched in our immigration laws. We also need to see deliberate efforts to pass legislation for a clear, inclusive, timely, roadmap to citizenship all 11 million undocumented people in the U.S.”
“We are thrilled the House has passed the Dream and Promise Act,” said Melanie Nezer, HIAS’ senior vice president of public affairs. “Our elected officials in the House answered the call to restore stability to the lives of millions of our neighbors. Today’s vote represents the will of the vast majority of Americans: seventy-seven percent of voters, from both parties, support citizenship for Dreamers. We hope the Senate and the Biden administration will also listen to those voters and make the Dream and Promise Act the law of the land.”
“Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) praises the House of Representatives for passing the American Dream and Promise Act of 2021 (H.R. 6). The bill is one of the largest legalizative efforts for Dreamers and other groups of undocumented immigrants to date, including protections and a path to citizenship for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) recipients and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) beneficiaries,” said Ali Rahnama, Legislative Manager of FCNL’s Immigration and Refugee Program. “The people impacted by this initiative are an undeniable part of the fabric of our society and are worthy of nothing less than an accessible pathway to citizenship. We are committed to provide for their deserved dignity to remain with their families and continue contributing to our country.”
Disciples Refugee & Immigration Ministries Director, Rev. Dr. Sharon Stanley-Rea, added: “The passage of H.R. 6 and H.R. 1603 through the House represents critical and historic steps in offering long awaited pathways to citizenship for millions of long-term immigrant neighbors who know the U.S. as their homeland, and who have made the U.S. a much better homeland for all of us who reside here. We praise the work of immigrant leaders who have made passage of these bills even possible. However, as God is the creator of all human beings, we continue to await next steps to keep improving protections in the bills and expand opportunities for permanent pathways that offer family unity for many more who have been unjustly criminalized and traumatized by US immigration laws. We will be vigilant in prayer, persistent in action, and stand ready for partnership with the Senate as it now becomes the vehicle to move citizenship for all 11 million undocumented immigrants.”
“As Cooperative Baptists, we celebrate the passage of the Dream and Promise Act in the House of Representatives, as it is an important step towards a pathway to citizenship for millions of DACA, TPS, and DED recipients, many of whom have endured decades of uncertainty,” said Elket Rodríguez, Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy& Missions Specialist for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and Fellowship Southwest. “We must continue to advocate and pray for the culmination of this process in the Senate with the strength of our faith in God guiding our hope.”
Katie Adams, Domestic Policy Advocate for the United Church of Christ, said “Passage of the Dream and Promise Act and the Farm Workforce Modernization Act is a critical first step in creating a more equitable society; one that welcomes immigrants and recognizes them as vital members of our communities. Final passage of H.R. 6 must remove the criminal bars to eligibility as a way to delink the immigration process with the criminal legal system – recognizing the racist underpinnings of the system. It is a moral imperative to pass H.R. 6 without these harmful exclusions.”
“As an organization devoted to improving the lives of women, children, and families, National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) celebrates House passage of the American Dream and Promise Act,” said NCJW Chief Policy Officer Jody Rabhan. “Protecting immigrant youth, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders, and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) recipients — all included in the bill — is the first step toward a pathway to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented people living in the United States.”
“Faithful people welcome the passage of the American Dream and Promise Act and agree it is a moral imperative for the Senate to pass it now. Our country is at its best when we live by our values of compassion, dignity and respect,” said Rev. Noel Andersen, Director of Grassroots Organizing for Church World Service. “Now is the time for our nation to stop tearing families apart and live our values to be a beacon of hope. This bill provides a permanent pathway to citizenship to over three million undocumented young people, Temporary Protected Status holders, and Deferred Enforced Departure recipients. We urge the Senate to bring the Dream Act and the SECURE Act, the Senate equivalents to the American Dream and Promise Act, to the floor by April 30. The lives of our neighbors are on the line, and we have a moral imperative to move forward without delay.”
The Interfaith Immigration Coalition is made up of over 55 national, faith-based organizations brought together across many theological traditions with a common call to seek just policies that lift up the God-given dignity of every individual. In partnership, we work to protect the rights, dignity, and safety of all refugees and migrants.
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