Democrats write to Biden to give priority to the Citizenship for Essential Workers Act in the American Families Plan which will benefit over 5 million undocumented essential workers

A group of bicameral Democratic lawmakers writes to President Joe Biden to include H.R. 1909/S. 747, the Citizenship for Essential Workers Act, as a priority in the American Families Plan, the name of the second part of Biden’s two-part plan, a CNN report said.

The Citizenship for Essential Workers Act would provide a pathway to citizenship for more than 5 million undocumented essential workers who works in child care, health care, agriculture, construction, emergency response, transportation, food, domestic work and other essential jobs, the report said.

“The upcoming legislative package on jobs and infrastructure is the best opportunity to recognize and reward the sacrifices and labor of essential workers,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter.

“Essential workers also paid a terrible toll this past year,” the lawmakers added.

“They are unable to work from home, often live in crowded conditions with their families, work in industries with unsafe conditions, and earn poverty level wages. Thus, the pandemic only worsened their living situations, compounding on the grim socio-economic and racial disparities in our country. A path to citizenship for essential workers is a critical part of building our economy back better.”

It is Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Alex Padilla of California Reps. Joaquin Castro of Texas and Ted Lieu of California who took this initiative to get legislation passed in this Congress.