AILA: Reconciliation Efforts Must Continue; Immigration Reform Cannot Wait

Washington, DC – Today, the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) responded to the Senate parliamentarian’s decision that the proposed immigration reforms would not, in her opinion, be appropriate to include in the budget reconciliation.

AILA President Allen Orr said, “I’m disappointed that the parliamentarian issued this advice rather than a full-throated approval of the initial budget reconciliation language on immigration. But this fight isn’t over. Congressional leaders have several alternative proposals and should immediately put them before the parliamentarian; hitting a roadblock the first time is nothing new in the push for immigration reform. The need for pathways to citizenship for Dreamers, TPS and DED recipients, farm workers and essential workers is still vital from both a moral perspective, and a pragmatic one: reforms will have a direct budget impact and would yield $1.5 trillion over ten years in economic growth. There is also a continued need to address visa backlogs and bring our immigration system into this century.”

AILA Executive Director Benjamin Johnson added, “We will continue this battle for sensible immigration reform, urging Congressional members to do what we know has been sorely needed for so long: update our immigration laws. For more than a generation we have done little more than throw billions of dollars of ever-increasing enforcement resources at our immigration system. This enforcement-only approach has failed, and it is time to focus our attention on the changes that would benefit our nation and increase our shared prosperity, helping all of us recover from the pandemic’s impact. With overwhelming numbers of American voters supporting a path to citizenship for the undocumented, there is no reason to delay passing reform. AILA and our partners are fighting to get it done this year.”