FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE) — “A new day has dawned, tomorrow with the inauguration of President-Elect Biden we usher in a new era that has yet to be defined but one that we hope will result in dignified and humane treatment of our immigrant communities,” said Samuel Molina with Mi Familia Vota.
On Tuesday, City and community leaders came together to call on President-Elect Joe Biden for a comprehensive immigration reform package that provides protection and a pathway to citizenship within his first 100 days.
“As the pandemic raged, as people were getting sick and people were dying and some of us were zooming in to work or conference meetings, those farmworkers, those packing house employees did not have that option, they literally kept our country and the world fed and so now it’s time for the country and our city to thank them and really make sure that we ensure that they have a process, a true process to get to citizenship,” said Luis Chavez, Fresno City Council President.
Biden plans to unveil an immigration bill that would provide an eight-year to citizenship for an estimated 11 million people living in the U.S. without legal status.
Advocates say more than 2.6 million live in California and hundreds of thousands live in the Central Valley.
They’re calling for a peaceful transition and a repeal of President Trump’s anti-immigration policies.
“We have a historic opportunity to center equity in our recovery efforts and address the structural inequalities that have been laid bare,” said Eric Payne, Executive Director of Central Valley Urban Institute.
DACA recipients are hoping for a more permanent future. “DACA has been an amazing opportunity and I am extremely grateful for it but it is a temporary solution and we need something permanent before somebody else comes and tries to take it away from us again,” said Anahirely Torres, a DACA recipient.
