There’s strength in numbers. And students in Chicago made it known when they staged a walkout this week in support of undocumented immigrants.
In November, the House passed the Build Back Better Act. However, the bill does not have a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants—they are calling for Senator Dick Durbin to act.
“He’s chairman of the judicial committee. He’s been fighting for immigrant communities for decades, but they felt as though it was time to really put pressure on him because in this year’s Build Back Better Act, they’re trying to include immigration,” said Glo Choi with the HANA Center. “So young people felt that, in this moment, when they’re waiting for the parliamentarian’s decision on immigration, to regardless of what happens, ensures a pathway to citizenship happens this year.”
The BBB bill isn’t all bad.
Many undocumented immigrants could receive work permits and protection from deportation. However, the students are concerned with how a lack of a pathway to citizenship will affect the youth.
“The youth are impacted by undocumentation and immigration and we need people to start realizing that once it starts affecting the youth, it’s a serious problem,” Ariana Aguilar told WGN TV.
HANA Center, Fighting Youth Shouting Out For Humanity, and other social justice groups joined forces to demonstrate.
They are not alone.
Legislators in the US House of Representatives last month advanced President Joe Biden’s ambitious $1.75-trillion domestic spending plan and members of the Democratic Party had tried to include provisions in the legislation that would have provided a path to citizenship to an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States.
However, the attempts have been blocked by Senate Republicans.
The Judiciary Committee’s top Republican, Senator Chuck Grassley, praised the ruling.
“Mass amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants isn’t a budgetary issue appropriate for reconciliation,” Grassley said on Twitter.
Durbin says he’s focused on reform.
“I haven’t given up on including immigration legislation in the reconciliation bill because it’s been more than 30 years since Congress passed immigration reform and people are counting on us,” Durbin said in tweet at the time. “With the BBB framework, we have an opportunity to address this lapse in leadership.”
