Texans Call on Biden and Democrats in Congress to Use their Power and Pass a Pathway to Citizenship for the 11 Million Undocumented

The following is a statement from Adriana Cadena, managing director of the Reform Immigration for Texas Alliance (RITA), on the Senate Parliamentarian’s decision rejecting the inclusion of a pathway to citizenship in the reconciliation proposal, which would have benefitted millions of immigrants, including Dreamers, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders, essential workers, and farm workers.

“This weekend, as RITA led hundreds in a car caravan from the border to Austin fighting against state-level anti-immigrant policies in Texas, the Senate Parliamentarian released a decision rejecting the inclusion of a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, TPS holders, farmworkers, and essential workers in the reconciliation process – despite clear evidence of the significant positive economic impact the proposal would have on our nation.

While disappointing, the Biden administration and Congressional Democrats must not let this decision mean defeat – but rather, they use this moment to advance even bolder and more transformative legislation that will create a pathway to citizenship for all 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S., as well as prevent bad actors like Texas Governor Greg Abbott from unilaterally implementing policies and procedures that criminalize immigrants and asylum seekers.

This bold action must also include an immediate halt to the Biden administration’s mass deportations of Haitian asylum seekers currently occurring at Del Rio, Texas, and the reallocation of funds away from ‘border security’ systems and infrastructure that separate families, criminalize immigrants and asylum seekers, and make our communities less safe, and into welcoming centers, services, and institutions rooted in the values of compassion and dignity for all.

It is time that President Biden and Democrats in Congress stop making compromises that will cost us our lives, and begin leveraging their political power to keep their promises to our communities.”

As the leading grassroots statewide alliance of immigrant organizations, the Reform Immigration for Texas Alliance (RITA) works with allies in the business, faith, and other sectors to protect and advance the rights of immigrant and border communities in Texas. Learn more on the RITA Facebook page at @RITATexas