For the last 15 years, Gamaliel’s Civil Rights of Immigrants Campaign has fought for a clear path to citizenship for all immigrants. Now, as the United States Senate considers the Build Back Better Act, we have a narrow window of opportunity to push President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to reinsert a path to citizenship into the Build Back Better Act through a registry update.
You have the opportunity to join us in this call to action by signing this letter that calls upon our leaders to make this change. Please sign by Wednesday, January 19 at 5 p.m. Central Time. A version of this letter can be found here for circulation.
The full text of our letter is below:
January 10, 2022
| The Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
President of the United States 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW Washington, D.C. 20500 |
The Honorable Kamala Harris
Vice President of the United States 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW Washington, D.C. 20500 |
| The Honorable Chuck Schumer
Majority Leader United States Senate 322 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 |
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Speaker of the House of Representatives United States House of Representatives U.S. Capitol Washington, D.C. 20515 |
Dear President Biden, Vice President Harris, Majority Leader Schumer, and Speaker Pelosi:
We, as members and affiliates of the Gamaliel Network, write to you as citizens deeply committed to the rights and well-being of immigrants. For the past year, our national Civil Rights of Immigrants Campaign (CRI) has called for Complete Inclusive Immigration Reform that includes an accessible path to citizenship for all immigrants. At this crucial juncture, we urge you to use your constitutional leadership to reinsert a path to citizenship into the Build Back Better Act through a registry update.
Gamaliel Network, its affiliates, and CRI work tirelessly to train immigrants and their fellow community members to organize and meaningfully participate in the political and social decisions that affect their lives. Every day, we see the strain that the United States’ unjust immigration policies place upon members of our communities, and the ways in which the pressures of a precarious or nonexistent path to citizenship compound difficulties related to housing, work, education and more. As organizers guided by our diverse faith traditions and values, we call upon you to exercise compassion and justice toward these people who seek citizenship in our country.
As our colleagues at CHIRLA stated in a recent letter to you, “We are cognizant of the ongoing discussions between the White House and the Senate aimed at securing 50 Senate votes for any final package. Our position remains clear and steadfast: the inclusion of permanent protections for immigrants across the nation is a moral, economic and political imperative.”
We have followed closely the Senate Parliamentarian’s multiple advisory opinions on proposed immigration provisions in H.R.5376 – Build Back Better Act. We urge you to remember that the Parliamentarian’s advice is not binding under the rules of the Senate and that you have the ability to include any and all of those provisions in the legislation. For us, the bottom line is securing a pathway to citizenship for the millions of immigrants in this country who remain undocumented but are actively engaged in building better communities and ultimately a better America. We believe that the Build Back Better Act is the vehicle for making that happen now.
We call on you to use the power given to you by the American people to support all American communities. Please take this opportunity to provide a path to citizenship today.
Sincerely,
Mr. Pablo Tapia
Chair, Gamaliel Civil Rights of Immigrants
Rev. Dr. John C. Welch
Chair, Gamaliel Board of Directors
Rev. Edward L. Thompson
Chair, Gamaliel Council of Presidents
Ms. Ana Garcia-Ashley
Executive Director, Gamaliel
We, the undersigned, add our names in support of the demands stated in this letter.
Add your name in support of this letter, or sign on behalf of your organization. A version of this letter for circulation can be found here.