Amid the upsurge in immigration raids in the U.S. under the Donald Trump administration, Democratic lawmakers led by Senator Alex Padilla introduced an interesting bill.
This immigration reform could open a path to legalization for millions of immigrants who have lived in the country for years without immigration status.
What does the new immigration initiative propose?
The proposal, officially called “Renewing Immigration Provisions of the Immigration Act of 1929”, seeks to update the mechanism known as the “Registry”.
This is a legal tool historically used to regularize immigrants with a long stay in the country.
This immigration reform would allow immigrants who have lived in the U.S. continuously for at least seven years to apply for legal permanent residency.
As long as they do not have a serious criminal record.
It is estimated that around 8 million people could benefit, including agricultural workers, employees in essential services and mixed families.
Who is driving the law and why?
Alex Padilla, the first Latino to represent California in the U.S. Senate, introduced the immigration reform bill in Los Angeles.
In parallel, Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren introduced it in the Lower House from Watsonville, an agricultural region in the northern part of the state.
Both legislators have emphasized that this is not an amnesty, but rather a modernization of an existing law to avoid its constant updating every several decades.
The last modification to the Registry was in 1986, during Ronald Reagan’s administration, when some 3 million immigrants were legalized.
Padilla stated that he is even willing to have President Trump take credit for the bill if that guarantees its passage:
Lo importante es proteger a quienes ya son parte vital de nuestras comunidades
Alex Padilla
What obstacles does the proposal face?
Buzzy
Although Democrats promote this immigration reform as a practical and fair tool, its passage in a Republican-dominated Congress and in the midst of the Trump presidency represents a major challenge.
The White House has reiterated its opposition to any policy perceived as “amnesty”.
Although Trump himself has publicly admitted that he may reduce raids in key economic sectors such as agriculture and hospitality.
Padilla has urged the Latino community to mobilize and lobby:
“The only way to stop mass deportations is with mass mobilizations.”
Community support
Organizations such as CHIRLA (Coalition for Immigrant Rights) have actively supported immigration reform.
Its director, Angélica Salas, explained that one of the major advances of the project is that it incorporates a moveable clause, to prevent the system from stagnating in the future.
For more information, visit QuéOnnda.com.
