(PatriotNewsDaily.com) – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin, along with Senator Bernie Sanders and 17 other Democratic senators, sent a letter to President Joe Biden, urging him to expedite the process for legalizing the status of migrants who are in the United States without authorization.
The group of senators called on President Biden to act quickly to offer administrative “relief” to a large number of immigrants to safeguard them against potential deportation, particularly with the possibility of Donald Trump’s return to the presidency.
In their letter, they highlighted the significant personal and economic impact of undocumented immigrants, noting that over 1.1 million U.S. citizens have undocumented spouses, and approximately 4.9 million U.S. citizen children have at least one undocumented parent. They warned that the mass deportation threatened by Trump would severely harm the U.S. economy and tear apart American families.
The letter also pointed out the considerable contributions of undocumented immigrants to the U.S. economy, including approximately $9.7 billion in federal and state taxes and over $11 billion in Social Security contributions in 2019. The senators expressed concern about the constant fear these families face of being separated due to deportation and the consequent hesitance to seek necessary healthcare or report crimes.
Signatories of the letter include Senators Alex Padilla, Catherine Cortez Masto, Bob Menendez, Ben Ray Luján, Cory Booker, Ben Cardin, Mazie Hirono, and Bernie Sanders, among others.
They specifically requested that President Biden facilitate the processing of green card applications for undocumented immigrants married to U.S. citizens, highlighting the current lengthy delays, which average 42 months.
Additionally, the senators sought to improve the process for immigrants who have applied for legal status under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, enabling them to more easily obtain green cards through employment sponsorship.
The letter detailed the obstacles faced by these applicants, including the need to travel to a consulate for status changes and the difficulty in securing appointments.
The senators also proposed that the Departments of Homeland Security and Justice implement regulations to allow undocumented immigrants, who are family caregivers, to avoid deportation by applying for the cancellation of removal orders. They argued that this change would benefit American families, especially those with children who have acute needs.
Copyright 2024, PatriotNewsDaily.com
