Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, essential workers have kept our nation healthy and fed, and earned the gratitude and respect of the American people. Among these essential workers are millions of undocumented immigrants. Black, immigrant, and communities of color are being disproportionately impacted by the challenges of the #COVID19 pandemic. Yet, they are also the very same people who are on the frontlines in jobs deemed essential to our nation. It's time to protect them. #CitizenshipNow

Almost 3 out of 4 undocumented workers in the United States were designated essential during the pandemic – they are farmworkers, meatpackers, nurses, first responders, domestic workers, janitors, construction workers, grocery store clerks, teachers, home health aides, and so much more. They did not have the option of working from home. They put their lives, and their families lives, on the line for us. And there have been casualties – with Latino and other immigrant communities suffering disproportionately from COVID-19. As we seek to recover and rebuild from this pandemic, we cannot discard the very workers who got us through it.

America owes a debt to these undocumented essential workers.  The Citizenship for Essential Workers Act, an expedited pathway to legal permanent resident status and eventual U.S. citizenship for over 5 million undocumented essential workers is how we will repay that debt.

This bill includes provisions that:

·     Creates a fast, secure, and accessible process for Essential Workers to apply for adjusted status.  

·     Provides immediate protection against deportation for applicants.

·     Includes workers who lost their work in essential fields due to COVID-19, as well as relatives of essential workers who died from COVID-19.

The Center for American Progress estimates that five million undocumented immigrants, including 202, 5000 DACA recipients and 131, 000 TPS holders, are on the frontlines of the #COVID19 pandemic, serving in jobs deemed “essential” to the proper functioning of the nation and our economy. It's time to include a pathway to citizenship for essential workers & families, #Dreamers, and #TPS holders in the #COVID19 bill. #WeAreHome

Bill text: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hpcD_vQY769u3yFfdgKAcnQyOf7gJjtX/view?usp=sharing