Refugees at the U.S. Mexico Border

Dear Mr. SVLG Blog Post,

Thank you for writing to share your support for immigration reform. I appreciate hearing from you.

I share your belief that Congress must provide a pathway to citizenship for the over 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the shadows of a broken immigration system. My parents both immigrated to the United States from Mexico to pursue their American dreams. Growing up, my father worked as a short-order cook, and my mother worked as a housekeeper. They worked hard and sacrificed to provide my brother, sister, and me with better opportunities than they were afforded. This is the dream that I fight for every day.

That is why I was proud to introduce the “Citizenship for Essential Workers Act” (S.1392), which would have created an expedited pathway to citizenship for over five million essential workers without permanent legal status who kept Americans healthy, fed, and safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

I also introduced the “Renewing immigration Provisions of the immigration Act of 1929” (S.2606). This bill would have updated the existing registry statute to ensure immigrants who have lived in the U.S. continuously for at least seven years can obtain lawful permanent resident status. Millions of people – including Dreamers, Temporary Protected Status holders, essential workers, and high-skilled members of our workforce – would benefit from a pathway to a green card. Neither of these bills passed in the 118th Congress, but I plan to reintroduce both of them in this Congress.

As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, please know that enacting comprehensive immigration is a top priority for me this Congress.

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Once again, thank you for writing. Should you have any other questions or comments, please call my Washington, D.C. office at (202) 224-3553 or visit my website at padilla.senate.gov. You can also follow me on Facebook, and Twitter, and you can sign up for my email newsletter at padilla.senate.gov/newsletter.

Sincerely,