November 9, 2021
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer
United States Senate
322 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Dear Senate Majority Leader Schumer:
We, the undersigned organizations representing Communities United for Status and Protection (CUSP), write to urge you to unite the Democratic Caucus to ensure that the 2010 green card registry provisions are reinserted into and protected in the Build Back Better Act in the Senate.
Together, our organizations represent thousands of African, Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Latinx, Arab/Middle Eastern, South Asian, and Asian and Pacific Islander immigrants across the country. Our communities have been counting on Democratic leadership to keep its promise of a pathway to citizenship this year. The undocumented immigrants that we represent are essential workers who have kept the country afloat and safe as the pandemic has raged on for nearly two years. They are long-term residents of the U.S., living in limbo with mere temporary statuses like Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), Deferred Enforced Departure (DED), and Temporary Protected Status (TPS). Our communities have made major contributions and sacrifices for this country and deserve nothing less than permanent residency, not more years of patchwork, temporary fixes like work permits and some protection from deportation.
Senator Schumer, we believe in you. You have the power to unify the Democratic party and reinsert and protect the 2010 registry when the Build Back Better Act arrives in the Senate. Registry is the only viable option to deliver on the promise of a pathway to citizenship for our communities. Green cards keep families together, boost the economy, create jobs, and provide immigrants the stability and certainty they need to live freely as full members of our society. Furthermore, an overwhelming majority of Americans support providing a pathway to citizenship to undocumented immigrants. Green cards help everybody.
Not only is registry the right solution for our communities, registry is also completely feasible in Congress. The registry language has been preliminarily scored by the Congressional Budget Office and abides by the funding limits currently imposed. We are confident a formal scoring by the CBO will reflect the same. In fact, the House Judiciary Committee’s summary of the registry language says it is “billions of dollars cheaper” than amending Section 245B of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
Further, we have a vetted strategy in the form of this joint memo from the UndocuBlack Network, the National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC), the National Immigration Law Center, and the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA). The memo outlines the procedural steps necessary to secure a pathway to citizenship in the Build Back Better Act, and how to respectfully decline to follow the Parliamentarian’s advice in the Senate. The strategy is informed by Senate rules, but it also relies upon all Democrats in Congress working in unison to deliver justice to our communities. We know you have the power to organize the Democratic Caucus and make this happen.
Senator Schumer, our communities have fought relentlessly, for decades, for this moment. Democratic leadership pledged to do what it takes to turn this fight into a win through reconciliation. We urge you to deliver on your promise and to do everything in your power to reinsert and protect registry provisions in Build Back Better in the Senate.
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Communities United for Status and Protection (CUSP) is a collaborative of grassroots immigrant community organizations working together to win permanent status for our members and communities, and build a more inclusive immigrant rights movement that centers the needs and experiences of African, Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Latinx, Arab/Middle Eastern, and API immigrants.
The UndocuBlack Network (UBN), founded in 2016, is a multigenerational network of currently and formerly undocumented Black people that fosters community, facilitates access to resources and contributes to transforming the realities of our people so we are thriving and living our fullest lives. UBN has chapters in New York City, the DC/MD/VA area, and Los Angeles, CA.
Adhikaar (Nepali: rights) is a New York-based non-profit, organizing the Nepali-speaking community to promote human rights and social justice for all. We are a women-led workers’ center and community center focused on workers’ rights, immigration rights, access to affordable healthcare and language justice.
African Communities Together (ACT) is an organization of African immigrants fighting for civil rights, opportunity, and a better life for our families here in the U.S. and worldwide. ACT empowers African immigrants to integrate socially, get ahead economically, and engage civically. We connect African immigrants to critical services, help Africans develop as leaders, and organize our communities on the issues that matter.
Haitian Bridge Alliance (HBA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community organization that advocates for fair and humane immigration policies and provides bond support and humanitarian, legal, and other social services, with a particular focus on Black immigrants, the Haitian community, women, LGBTQAI+ individuals and survivors of torture and other human rights abuses. Since 2015, HBA has provided services to asylum seekers and other migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border, in U.S. detention, and during U.S. immigration proceedings.
National Network for Arab American Communities (NNAAC) is a national consortium of independent Arab American community-based organizations. The Network’s primary mission is to build the capacity of Arab American non-profit organizations that focus on the needs and issues impacting their local community while collectively addressing those issues nationally
