Rep. Roybal-Allard on Judiciary Committee Markup of Build Back Better Act: One Step Closer to Pathway to Citizenship

Press Release

WASHINGTON, DC -- Today, the House Judiciary Committee completed its markup of its portion of the Build Back Better Act, a transformative bill that would make historic investments to help grow the nation's economy and strengthen our communities for years to come. The committee-approved portion of the bill includes a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, Temporary Protected Status (TPS)-eligible individuals, Deferred Enforced Departure beneficiaries, and undocumented essential workers, including farmworkers. U.S. Representative Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-40), the first Mexican-American woman to serve in Congress and an original co-author of the Dream Act, issued the following statement:
"I introduced my American Dream and Promise Act, HR-6, to provide Dreamers, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) recipients, and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) beneficiaries with a pathway to citizenship. The House Judiciary Committee's vote today builds on my bill and would provide these groups with permanent protections when passed into law.
"I'm excited the Committee has added a section of my bill to the Build Back Better Act which brings us one step closer to providing these hardworking immigrant groups the security they need to once and for all come out of the shadows as they continue to work and strengthen our national economy. I'm also delighted the bill text includes permanent protections for essential workers, many of whom have served on the front lines of our COVID-19 pandemic response, and that it recaptures unused and diversity visas.
"A pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants will advance our economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, help reduce our national deficit, raise wages, add a cumulative $1.5 trillion to U.S. GDP over a decade, and create more than 400,000 new jobs. The time has come to provide our hardworking immigrants with the security of citizenship so they can continue their significant contributions to our nation and its economy without fear. I urge my colleagues to support this critical piece of legislation and pass it out of the House."

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