On the recordMay 1, 2023
I rise to introduce the Citizenship for Essential Workers Act. This legislation would provide a pathway to citizenship for these workers and their families, who have played a critical role in getting us through the pandemic and are helping with recovery efforts. A little over 2 years ago, after I was first sworn into the U.S. Senate, this was the very first bill I introduced. Every day, over 5 million essential workers without permanent legal status kept Americans healthy, fed, and safe during the COVID pandemic--all while risking their own health and the health of their families. They couldn't just Zoom into the office. Many served us while living in constant fear of deportation. Back then, for the first time, Americans were waking up to a reality what families like mine knew for years: that not only were these immigrant workers saving lives in a time of need but that their work had always been essential to our country. As the proud son of immigrants from Mexico whose mother worked as a housekeeper and father a short order cook--two jobs that today would be deemed essential--I can only imagine the fear and uncertainty my family would have experienced every day my dad walked out the door or my mom set off to enter another family's home in the middle of a pandemic. The Federal COVID-19 public health emergency comes to an end next month, but we can't forget the sacrifices these workers made--and still make every single day--for our country.…
