LOS ANGELES -- The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), the largest immigrant rights organization in California, applauded the Senate for taking a historic step Wednesday to provide a pathway to citizenship for millions of Americans in waiting. The Senate approved a $3.5 trillion budget resolution which includes $107 billion to create a pathway to U.S. citizenship for millions of young undocumented immigrants, TPS recipients, immigrant essential workers, and farm workers. The resolution now moves to the House of Representatives. Please attribute the following statements to Angelica Salas, CHIRLA executive director: "We rejoice as we are one step closer to ensuring immigrants and their families have the recognition and pathway to citizenship that they have long deserved. It was a long night, especially because Republicans continue to obfuscate, deceive, and create alternative realities to oppose basic justice and immigration reform. But we are here because we support a broad path to citizenship being included in the reconciliation package and we will not allow any anti-immigrant efforts inside and outside Congress to slow us down. We are part of the United States, we live in, and contribute to these communities, not because we want to belong, but because we already do. A path to citizenship in this budget resolution is a recognition that we belong and have belonged for a long time. Last night we overcame a significant hurdle, and we have been waiting for 35 years for this moment. When the administration says Build Back Better, we cannot do that without immigrants. The House must pass now pass this resolution with funding for legalization intact. This is not just for the future of immigrants, it is for the future of the entire nation. Legalization makes sense morally and economically, and a path to citizenship is good for all of us who make the U.S. home.” | 
