A group of 90 Democrats in the House of Representatives sent a letter to the Senate requesting a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants be written into President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better bill.
In the letter, numerous influential House Democrats urged the Senate to include legislation in the bill that would allow certain undocumented immigrants to seek citizenship, including essential workers and Dreamers.
“The House version of the BBB Act limits relief for certain undocumented individuals to a five-year parole status, yet another form of temporary reprieve. We now write to urge you and the rest of our colleagues in the Senate to reinstate a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, TPS [temporary protected status] holders, farm workers, and essential workers in the Senate’s version of the reconciliation bill,” wrote the lawmakers.
The letter added that while these immigrants have consistently been granted temporary status allowing them to stay in the U.S., Build Back Better as it stands would only extend these statuses without solving the immigration issue.
Experts agree that the bill as it passed in the House will likely undergo a series of changes to appease senators that are on the fence. This would cause the bill to return to the House for yet another vote.
