Immigrant Activists and Community Members to Rally at Colorado State Capitol to Push Registry Update
DENVER,CO-The Colorado Immigration Rights Coalition is calling on Rep. Diana Degette, Rep. Joe Neguse, Rep. Jason Crow, Rep. Brittany Petterson, and Rep. Yadira Caraveo to sign on as primary sponsors of H.R. 8433 for the previous 117th Congress. Additionally, CIRC calls on Sen. Michael Bennet and Sen. John Hickenlooper to introduce the bill into the Senate. Our sister organization, CIRC Action Fund, has sent letters to each of these legislators in this call to action. CIRC and CIRC Action Fund specifically call on these legislators to represent Colorado as a key leader in federal immigration reform.
On Saturday, March 11, 2023 at 1pm, community members, immigration activists and students will rally at the Colorado State Capitol to share their immigrant experiences, emphasize the importance of H.R. 8433 and reinforce CIRC’s call to action to our legislators.
“It is time for Congress to support a policy change that has long standing precedent. In 2022, we had the support of Congress members Crow, DeGette and Neguse as co-sponsors to the bill and we are grateful for their support and we ask that they become primary sponsors this year,” said Federal Steering Committee member Omar Gómez. “We will finally live with peace of mind that we are welcomed in this nation we have called home for years and decades.To the immigrant community, please join us, there is a possibility to obtain a pathway to citizenship but we have to work together. The change in registry would benefit DACA recipients, TPS recipients, farmworkers and millions more.”
What is H.R. 8433?
Also known as, “Renewing Immigration Provisions of the Immigration Act of 1929,” this historically bipartisan bill would update the registry date in section 249 of the Immigration and Nationality Act to offer permanent residence to immigrants who have lived in the U.S. for at least 7 years. The most recent update to the Immigration Act of 1929 was in 1986, which updated the registry date to January 1, 1972 for immigrants to claim permanent residence. H.R. 8433 would allow more than 8 million undocumented immigrants to come out of the shadows and become eligible for a pathway to citizenship.
For decades, immigrant families have been waiting on Congress to deliver on their promise to provide a pathway to citizenship for millions of people. Despite campaign promises, lawmakers in Washington D.C. have been unable and unwilling to pass legislation that would allow undocumented immigrants the chance to be recognized as U.S. Citizens. Programs including DACA are clearly unsustainable for our undocumented communities, and the flimsy language these programs, including DACA, are built upon inherently instills fear and uncertainty within our undocumented communities every day.
CIRC’s Federal Steering Committee, a committee composed of directly impacted community members and activists pushing for federal immigration reform, has specifically backed the updated registry bill because of its broad, comprehensive language and its inclusivity to all who seek a pathway to citizenship in the United States.
“It’s time for politicians to protect us from exploitation, abuse in the workplace and racist policies that lead to family separation,” said CSU student and Federal Steering Committee member Edna Chavez. “I ask politicians, ‘What would you do if a government had the authority to separate you from your children?’ An updated registry would give parents the opportunity to raise their children with dignity and without fear of separation due to deportation. We know that there is strength in unity, and therefore let us unite our voices to demand equality for all of us and for our next generation.”
WHO: Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition, community activists and other pro-immigrant organizations
WHAT: Organized rally and march
WHERE: Colorado State Capitol
WHEN: March 11, 2023 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
WHY: To demonstrate urgency for an updated registry date of the Immigration Act of 1929
The Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition (CIRC) is a 501 (c) (3) statewide, membership-based coalition of immigrant, faith, labor, youth, community, business and ally organizations founded in 2002 to improve the lives of immigrants and refugees by making Colorado a more welcoming, immigrant-friendly state.
Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition Action Fund is a 501(c)(4) that promotes dignity and human rights by building and increasing the civic participation of new Americans. CIRC AF strives for a strong and thriving Colorado where all residents are treated with dignity and respect with equal access to a fair and just quality of life and the opportunity to live united with family members. More at: https://circaction.org/