The Delaware Hispanic Commission joins other First State organizations supporting Congressional Democrats’ Plan to create a pathway to citizenship for millions of immigrants.
The Democrats’ current plan attaches a pathway to citizenship to the $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill.
It would allow about eight million undocumented Dreamers who arrived in the US as minors, beneficiaries of the Temporary Protected Status program and undocumented essential workers to apply for permanent residency.
Charito Calvachi-Mateyko is the coordinator for the Delaware Civil Rights Coalition, and she says if approved it will be beneficial for the country.
"Citizenship for immigrants would not only be the moral thing to do, but an economic booster for the nation."
Diana Sanroman-Espinosa is a University of Delaware student and DACA recipient who is now a citizen, and she says many people don’t understand the issues many go through without citizenship.
"In many political conversations it is brought up that DACA recipients have everything we need. Why would we want more, but they fail to realize that we miss out on various opportunities and have to go an extra mile that citizens do not have to do."
Sanroman-Espinosa says she faced many hurdles as a DACA recipient.
"It was always ‘Sorry, we can't process your application, your financial aid isn't coming through,’ and it was just a struggle. I would have to leave classes and go to the student services building crying because I couldn't go to class or couldn't pay for school anymore. Luckily, my first year, my freshman year I was able to become a resident of the United States."
If the plan is passed with the reconciliation bill, it would most likely have to be with complete Democratic support.
