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Pennsylvania lawmakers urge President Biden to protect immigrants
The letter explicitly urges the Biden administration to take proactive measures to safeguard undocumented youth.
Representative image / Image - Unsplash
Earlier this month, nearly two dozen Democratic state legislators from Pennsylvania wrote a letter, urging President Joe Biden to utilize his executive authority to safeguard immigrants and their families.
The letter explicitly urges the Biden administration to take proactive measures to safeguard undocumented youth, address the imminent termination of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy, extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Honduras, and grant work permits to mixed-status families facing application delays.
“We urge you to take executive action within your authority to provide these families with access to legal protections that will allow them to remain with their family members, including their U.S. citizen children and loved ones. The threats to immigrant families continue to grow as extremist politicians propose policies that could ultimately upend their lives and impact the stability of our local communities and economy,” the letter said.
The 20 lawmakers, representing both the House and Senate, highlighted that immigrants constitute 7.3 of Pennsylvania's overall population. They emphasized that federal protections enable immigrants to play a crucial role in addressing urgent labor shortages by taking up essential jobs.
Furthermore, Pennsylvania is the residence of over 3,200 Temporary Protected Status recipients, individuals who are foreign-born but unable to return to their home countries due to conditions such as war or natural disasters. Additionally, the state is estimated to have around 163,689 undocumented immigrants.
“We write from a state where immigrant workers and families are vital members of our communities,” the lawmakers wrote. “We live, work, pray and play with those who have come to America to build a better life for their families. We urge you to use your authority to make life better in our states by extending and expanding protections for our friends and neighbors.”
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