Yes Immigrants Forward
Apolonio Morales, Director of External Affairs for the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), spoke to the League at a Zoom webinar on Thursday, March 4, concerning CHIRLA’s current political campaign entitled “Yes Immigrants Forward.” The campaign began last September, when election polls showed the possibility of a change in the administration’s immigration policy. After the election, the campaign increased in intensity as a coalition of immigrant organizations moved to advocate policies that would benefit California’s large immigrant population.
Morales explained that President Biden’s day-one immigration proposal has been introduced in Congress as the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021. It proposes an eight-year road to citizenship for undocumented persons; a fast track to lawful permanent residency for DACA recipients, agricultural workers, and immigrants here under temporary protected status (TPS); a path for some persons recently deported to return to the United States and complete their applications; and finally, a change in terminology, replacing alien with non-citizen.
In addition, the administration’s bill would get rid of the three- and ten-year bans delaying those who have previously been deported from applying for adjustment of status; would allow relatives of U.S. citizens who have been approved for U.S. residency to come to the United States instead of having to wait in their home countries; would explicitly include permanent partnerships and eliminate discrimination against LGBTQIA+ families; and would provide protections for family members of Filipino veterans who fought with the United States in World War II.
Morales explained that the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 in its entirety may not qualify for budget reconciliation status in the Senate, and therefore more restricted immigration reform bills may be attached to the fiscal year 2021 appropriations bill in a piecemeal approach. These could include immigration bills that were passed by the House during the last session of Congress and therefore do not need to repeat the long process of committee hearings. Among those bills are H.R. 4, the American Dream Act, and H.R. 5038, the Farm Workforce Modernization Act of 2019. In addition, the Essential Workers Bill, being introduced by Representative Joaquin Castro and Senator Alex Padilla, specifically provides a path to citizenship for an estimated 5 to 7 million immigrants who have served as front-line workers during the pandemic.
CHIRLA has a detailed timetable to bring political pressure to bear leading up to key dates in the legislative process, and it has set May 1—the hundredth day of Biden’s presidency—as a symbolic deadline for demonstrating significant progress on immigration legislation.
Morales responded to many questions from the League audience. When asked who was opposed to these immigration reform measures, he gave a strong reply, saying “the same folks that stormed the capitol.” The issue of immigration, he said, is used as a political piñata—something that can be brought up again and again to demonize the population for political gain. He pointed out that under the Trump administration the anti-immigrant perspective exploded, but we have been making great strides in changing the narrative and getting folks to understand that immigrants are essential for our economy.
Following the presentation, League members had the opportunity to endorse the Yes Immigrants Forward campaign. You can do so as well by signing the CHIRLA petition.
—Bob Pendleton, Chair, Immigration Committee
