Washington, DC – Interfaith Immigration Coalition (IIC) Co-Chairs, Peniel Ibe and Elissa Diaz, comment on introduction of the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 by Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Representative Linda Sanchez (D-CA), among other members of the House and Senate.
Peniel Ibe, policy engagement coordinator at the American Friends Service Committee and IIC Co-Chair:
We are taking our time to read this bill and compare it with our guiding principles.
Every good provision in this bill, we will celebrate because it comes from decades of organizing by immigrant leaders and those most impacted by the laws and policies. The bill lays out a path to U.S. citizenship for 11 million people who have built their lives in this country and are not yet recognized as official citizens. We welcome this administration’s eagerness to correct errors from the past. But the path to citizenship doesn’t begin until the bill becomes law.
Still, we cannot celebrate parts of this bill that exclude some people from relief, keep them in limbo, or punish them twice for having prior contact with a racist and biased criminal legal system.
We cannot celebrate parts of this bill that deny access to health care and other lifelines immigrants need–a situation made all the more immoral during a global pandemic.
We cannot celebrate parts of this bill that may translate into increased surveillance of our border communities, and weaponization of our border region.
We have grown bolder, more inclusive, and less patient in our demand for humane immigration laws and policies. Currently, this bill has yet to reach that vision. We are ready to make progress for all and we will leave no community member behind.
Immigration law reform is one part of a larger effort to dismantle all systems built on white supremacy and create a truly equitable society. We will not hesitate to hold any leader accountable, or oppose any strategy that pits communities against each other. Our vision is rooted in love.
Elissa Diaz, Policy and Advocacy Manager at Church World Service and IIC Co-Chair:
This is an historic moment for our immigrant neighbors who have long called the U.S. home. The U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 is long overdue. We celebrate its bold measures to provide a path to citizenship for 11 million people, prioritize family reunification, and strengthen immigrant and refugee integration, but we know introduction is not the end of the road. Congress must pass it.
“Welcoming the sojourner” and recognizing the inherent human dignity of all people are values we share across many faiths. At the border and across the United States, people have been offering their homes, ministry, treasure, and care to assist migrants for years, and will continue to do so. We stand ready to also do our part to ensure a law like the U.S. Citizenship Act is enacted, but also urge Congress and the administration to continue the work of building a humane, just path forward for all immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers.
Repudiation of the previous administration’s policies is not enough. “Repeal and strengthen; heal and transform,” is our mantra for the moment we are in. Expanding the scope of this bill to include true relief and protections for all, and passing it swiftly into law, is part of the road to transformation.
And, while Congress does its work, the Biden Administration must ensure that no one who would benefit from this legislation is detained or deported. By endorsing this legislation, he is making a commitment to the men, women, and children whose futures are written in these pages that he sees them, he values them, and they are already part of our American family. No one should be punished while waiting for Congress to act.
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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