DENVER, CO – FWD.us Colorado State Director Marissa Molina issued the following statement today on the proposed U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021, which would provide a much needed pathway to citizenship for our nation’s undocumented population, among other provisions:

“I congratulate the Biden-Harris Administration on their historic inauguration and look forward to working with them and the new Congress to enact fair and humane immigration policies. I applaud the Administration’s U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 proposal, which would provide a desperately-needed pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants who have been contributing to our communities for decades, while protecting legal immigration avenues and expanding opportunity for those seeking refuge.

“Colorado is home to over half a million immigrant residents who pay $5 billion in annual taxes, more than 300,000 of whom are working in essential industries crucial to our COVID-19 recovery. With three in four Americans on both sides of the aisle in support of a pathway to permanent legal status for all undocumented immigrants, the time for reform is now.

“Providing a pathway to citizenship for our nation’s undocumented immigrants is supported and needed. After years of anti-immigrant policies under the Trump Administration, I am once again hopeful. I thank the Biden-Harris Administration for prioritizing the protection of families, including Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program recipients and Dreamers, such as myself, and for sticking to their promise of providing meaningful immigration reform. And I urge Congress to urgently pass legislation such as the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021. Our nation’s immigrant community has sacrificed for decades – it’s past due time that they are provided with a pathway to citizenship and that our system is reformed.”