WASHINGTON — United States Senator Alex Padilla from California announced legislation Friday to create a pathway to legal citizenship for five million essential workers.
Padilla says three out of four undocumented workers in the U.S. are working jobs that are designated as essential. This is his second time trying to pass the Citizenship for Essential Workers Act.
“Every day during the COVID-19 pandemic more than five million essential workers without permanent legal status kept Americans healthy and fed and safe while risking their own health and that of their families,” Padilla said.
The country’s COVID state of emergency is ending next month.
“My legislation honors their sacrifice and recognizes how critical essential workers are to our economy even when we're not in a public health emergency," Padilla said. "They have earned their place in our country, their country, this country.”
Applicants would still have to pay the fee to apply and pass the typical background checks.
“Would create a fast, accessible and secure pathway to citizenship for the frontline workers that the United States Department of Homeland Security recognizes as essential,” he said.
Press secretary for one of the Republican senators that sits on the Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Safety that Senator Alex Padilla chairs said it's too soon for them to comment on the act.
There is also a California bill to do the same thing for undocumented essential farmworkers, and so far the bill has passed several key committees.
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