Rep. García, U.S. Citizen Spouses of Long-Term Undocumented Immigrants, Labor, Business, and Community Leaders Call on President Biden to Expand Access to Work Permits for All

WASHINGTON, DC — Today Representative Jesús “Chuy” Garcia (IL-04) was joined by representatives from American families of mixed citizenship status and labor, business, and community leaders to unveil a letter, co-led by Reps. Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) and Lou Correa (CA-46), urging the Biden administration to expand access to work permits for all, including long term-immigrants.

In the letter, the legislators thank the administration for its efforts to hold exploitative employers accountable and expedite access to work authorizations for hundreds of thousands of migrants in the United States but say more needs to be done. They ask the administration to utilize its statutory authority to establish three new work permit programs for undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens, for “Dreamers” who are ineligible for DACA due to age, and for long-term workers who have contributed and paid taxes for years but have been denied a path to legal status.

The legislators commend President Biden for using his executive authority to expand work permit access for recent arrivals from various countries, but add that “it’s time to extend this dignity to America’s longer-term immigrant communities, who have waited for relief for decades.”

“Implementing such a policy would benefit workers nationwide. Legal work permits would further shield immigrants from exploitation and enable them to seek jobs that match their skills, thereby fostering better working conditions. Additionally, granting work permits to long-term immigrant workers could increase annual tax revenue by an estimated $13.8 billion,” the legislators say in the letter.

“These actions represent significant strides toward bolstering the U.S. economy and supporting immigrant communities that have long contributed to our society. Long-term undocumented immigrants are valued members of our communities, embodying the modern ‘American Dream’ through their dedication as workers, taxpayers, consumers, and entrepreneurs,” the legislators state in the letter.

A copy of the letter can be found here.

Co-signers of the letter include: Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Nanette Barragán (CA-44) and Representatives Jamaal Bowman (NY-16), Danny K. Davis (IL-07), Maxwell Frost (FL-10), Raúl Grijalva (AZ-07), Jonathan Jackson (IL-01), Teresa Leger Fernández (NM-03), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-00), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), and Darren Soto (FL-09).

This letter is also endorsed by 90 local elected officials and community organizations from around the country. The list can be found here.

Pictures of the event can be found here.

# # #