Proper Citizenship Pathways

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Long-time residents should have an earned pathway to citizenship. History does not support the belief that opportunities for long-time undocumented residents to regularize their status significantly increases illegal immigration. Today, nearly 12 million people are estimated to be living in the United States without legal status. This number has remained between 10 and 12 million since 2005. Almost one-third of the undocumented population consists of those brought to the United States as children, commonly known as “Dreamers”. It also includes approximately 300,000 farmworkers, about half of the U.S. agricultural workforce. A significant majority of the undocumented population has lived in the United States for over a decade (some estimates place this percentage at upwards of 80%). Meanwhile, the population already contributes an estimated $100 billion in federal, state, and local taxes each year. Providing legal processes for long-time residents and other undocumented immigrants to regularize their status would strengthen the American economy, provide stability to communities, and keep families together.
Legal pathways should be expanded, reliable, and efficient. An enforcement-only approach to immigration disregards the benefits of immigration and the contributions of immigrants, as well as the many legitimate motivations people have for migrating, including family reunification, educational opportunities, employment, and humanitarian needs. Meanwhile, limits on legal immigration pathways established several decades ago are no longer responsive to the social, economic, and geopolitical realities of today. Unreliable processes and inadequate legal pathways have merely contributed to an increase in irregular migration, even as enforcement efforts have been steadily intensified. Improving and increasing opportunities for people to lawfully enter the United States, on both a temporary and permanent basis, are necessary steps to address several pressing issues, from family separation to regional labor shortages. New legal pathways should be created, and backlogs resulting in decades-long wait times should be eliminated.
While the existing immigration system is majority family-based with procedures that help reunite and keep families together, currently immediate family members of legal permanent residents often must wait ten years or longer to legally join their loved ones in the U.S. In recent years, there have been efforts to dismantle the family-based immigration system which the Catholic Church opposes. It is critical to maintain an emphasis on family unity in the immigration system and craft legislation that will protect and strengthen family-based immigration.
Legalization also would maintain the flow of remittances to Mexico and would give Mexicans safe and legal passage back to Mexico, if necessary. In addition, such legalization would promote national security by reducing fear in immigrant communities and by encouraging undocumented persons to become participating members of society. Legalization represents sound public policy and should be featured in any migration agreement between the United States and Mexico. In order to ensure fairness for all nationalities, the U.S. Congress should enact a legalization program for immigrants regardless of their country of origin.