At a press conference in Jackson, a Mississippi poultry worker named Aura shared the memory of Edgar Lopez, a grandfather who was among those detained and deported. After his deportation, he was tragically kidnapped and murdered in northern Mexico, as he sought to return to his family in Mississippi.
“I’ve never seen something happen like what happened here on August 7, 2019,” said Aura. “Many children came home from school that day to no parents […] There are still many people that will not come out to the streets because of the fear of deportation. There are still many people who are out of work because of the pandemic, and those who are working are doing hard labor for little wages and protections.”
While there is still much to be done to repair the damage caused by the current U.S. immigration system, a path to citizenship could soon be within grasp for millions of undocumented workers.
Last week, the Senate passed a $3.5 trillion budget resolution to finance a wide range of infrastructure projects and social programs, including a pathway to citizenship for approximately 10 million undocumented immigrants living and working in the United States.
Immigrant rights advocates that have been calling for such a pathway for decades celebrated this mark of progress, underscoring the dangers undocumented workers face every day.
“For more than a year, immigrants like me have kept our country running during this pandemic despite living under the constant threat of deportation and family separation,” said Hina Naveed, Co-Director of DRM Action Coalition and an advocate for the New York Immigration Coalition. “The inclusion of a pathway to citizenship in the budget reconciliation package that just passed the Senate is a testament to the courage of Dreamers, TPS (Temporary Protected Status) holders, and essential workers who mobilized their communities and demanded this long-awaited action.”