Ahead of Elections, Ramirez, Immigration Advocates Introduce a People-Centered Vision for Immigration Reform

October 15, 2026 Press Release Congress last acted on immigration reform 40 years ago, when President Ronald Reagan signed the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, which created pathways to citizenship for approximately 2.7 million immigrants. Chicago, IL – Today, Congresswoman Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03) , Ranking Member of a Committee on Homeland Security Subcommittee, immigration advocates, and community members unveiled the People’s Vision for Immigration Reform, a resolution outlining policy priorities to preserve and expand pathways to citizenship. As the elections approaches and the House of Representatives prepares for the 120th Congress, the resolution calls on the House of Representatives to pass real protections for immigrant communities. The resolution calls on Congress to transform our immigration system and advance humane immigration reform with: Pathways to citizenship for the millions of undocumented, long-term residents of the United States who are our family members, friends and neighbors; Humanitarian protections that welcome with dignity those who are seeking safety and asylum in the United States, upholding our domestic and international legal obligations to provide refuge to those in need; and Expanded legal pathways for family and employment immigration, recognizing that family unity and strengthened protections for all workers in the United States are foundations of thriving communities for all. “For years, administration after administration, Congress after Congress, has promised relief and has asked our communities to wait for the ‘right time,’ for the ‘politically convenient time,’” said Congresswoman Ramirez. “So today, we announced the People’s Vision for Immigration Reform – a resolution that reaffirms the commitment of Members of Congress to act in defense of our immigrant communities and preserve and expand pathways to citizenship. Now is the time to build a system that honors the contributions of our immigrant neighbors. No more excuses or peros.” The resolution’s original cosponsors include Representatives Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Jesus “Chuy” Garcia (IL-04), Lateefah Simon (CA-12), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-00), Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09), Analilia Mejia (NJ-11), Jasmine Crockett (TX-30), Maxine Dexter (OR-03), Sylvia R. Garcia (TX-29), Maxwell Frost (FL-10), Federica S. Wilson (FL-24), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Jonathan Jackson (IL-01), Melanie Stansbury (NM-01), Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03), Emily Randall (WA-06), Judy Chu (CA-28), Adelita S. Grijalva (AZ-07), and Al Green (TX-09). “Immigrants have bound our communities together, continue to contribute to our economy, and embody everything that Americans are made of and striving to be. All of which they do while asking nothing in return but the opportunity to reach for and obtain the American Dream,” said Congresswoman Yvette Clarke. “ The 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States must not be only the opportunity to reflect on how far we have come; it must be an obligation to remember the terrible price that we pay to reach here. The People’s Vision for Immigration Reform is in large part the only future for this nation worth fighting for.” “It’s time to send out a strong vision of where we need to be. We have spent an awful lot of time in Washington talking about immigration enforcement this year, but not nearly enough time talking about how we fix the system that has been broken for decades,” said Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia. “We need an immigration system that gives people a fair chance. We can start by making progress now. That’s why I’m leading the discharge petition of the American Dream and Promise Act; we are just one signature away from getting a forced vote. We need to get serious about real reform, not another round of empty promises.” The bill is endorsed by a coalition of more than 60 national and and local organizations, including Immigration Law Center (NILC), Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM) and FIRM Action, National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC), League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), Haitian Bridge Alliance, United We Dream (UWD), Refugees International, National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA), Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC), Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), Human Rights First, Bend the Arc: Jewish Action, Justice in Motion, Indivisible, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), National Health Care for the Homeless Council, United Parent Leaders Action Network (UPLAN), Children's Rights, Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice, Community Change Action, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) and ICIRR Action, CAIR Chicago, Grassroots Collaborative, Warehouse Workers for Justice, National Korean American Service and Education Consortium (NAKASEC), Indivisible Chicago Alliance, Hana Center, Here to Stay Community Land Trust, Illinois Unidos, PASO, Organized Communities Against Deportation (OCAD), Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, Jewish Council on Urban Affairs (JCUA), Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition (CIRC), Popular Democracy, Florida Immigrant Coalition (FLIC), SIREN, Iowa Migrant Movement for Justice, Maine People's Alliance, We are CASA, Workers Defense Action Fund, Make the Road States, Voces de la Frontera, Make the Road New York, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), Council of Mexican Federations in North America (COFEM), Sunflower Community Action, East Bay Sanctuary Covenant (EBSC), Federación de Clubes Michoacanos en Illinois (FEDECMI), Nebraska Appleseed, and Pineros Y Campesinos Unidos Del Noroeste (PCUN). “ Over the last 40 years we’ve seen the consequences, not only the inability of Congress to prioritize legislation, but of the overreach of the Trump administration that has taken a sledgehammer to refugee admissions, temporary protected status, health care and food access and the basic simple notion that all people in this country deserve due process under the law,” said Lawrence Benito, ICIRR Executive Director. “ We know we need permanent solutions, not chaos and fear. We’re here today to recommit to dignity and respect for all through legalization and keeping families together.” “Let me be clear: Our economy works because of workers, and for generations, immigrant workers have poured their sweat, their strength, and their labor into building this country. Working families deserve to go to work, provide for their families, and return home safely without fear of being detained or disappeared,” Laura Garza, Executive Director at Arise Chicago. “Now is the time to demand real protections for communities. It’s time to expand pathways to citizenship and ensure all working families can live and work with dignity and safety. As communities mobilize across the country, we stand together in our power to change our country’s direction.” “ Immigrants deserve a system that provides dignity, fairness, and a real opportunity for a life in this country. Congress must do its job to defend our neighbors by creating viable pathways. Otherwise, the executive branch will be able to continue to sow chaos in our communities, return refugees to danger, and trample our Constitution ,” said Keren Zwick , Executive Director at the National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC). “ NIJC stands ready to advance lasting solutions, even as we continue to fight the problems this administration created.” “ At PASO, we see the resilience of our communities, but resilience should never mean having to live in fear. Instead of being supported, our communities are increasingly being targeted because of their immigration status. But we have resisted, organized, advocated, and continue doing the work to prepare families for citizenship and help them navigate the immigration system. We have done our part, and now the federal government must do theirs. Because the truth is, no matter how much we prepare our communities, if the federal government fails to create real pathways to citizenship, our families will continue to face barriers,” Marien Casillas Pabellon , PASO Executive Director. “While ICE and DHS terrorize our communities and attack and deport our neighbors, Congress has not acted. While most Americans support creating and ensuring legal pathways to citizenship for immigrants, Congress has done nothing. Their silence enables this administration's campaign of terror against immigrants and their families. Today, as voters, we must demand that our elected representatives take action to create pathways to citizenship and legal status and protect immigrants and their families from abuse by our government,” said Kathy Tholin with Indivisible Chicago. “Asians are the fastest-growing racial group in the US, and 1 out of 7 undocumented immigrants is Asian. We are longstanding generations, mixed-status families, and new Americans who call this country home. We are all affected by the militarized violence, immigration backlogs, unaffordable costs, and attacks by this President and some Congress members against anyone they think doesn’t belong,” said Danae Kovac, HANA Center Executive Director. “Immigration affects all of us, and let me be clear: our country needs pathways to citizenship. HANA Center will continue to fight alongside Congresswoman Ramirez for Citizenship for All, not only for a pathway to citizenship, but also for the healthcare, education, climate justice, and more that we all need and deserve. Together, we, the people, can create an America where every person belongs and thrives.” “It is long past time to lift up families and embrace the worth of each of our neighbors. It is time to reject the politics of fear and division that have marked too much of the discussion around immigration in recent years,” said Ed Yohnka , ACLU Illinois Director of Communications and Public Policy. “In recent months, we have seen how years of rhetoric meant to stall meaningful immigration reform can be turned to justify a military-style invasion of our communities and cause too many hard-working people to live in fear and isolation. Immigration policy does not have to be this way. Immigration policy can be based on a commitment to family unification, a commitment to fairness and due process, and a recognition of the dignity and worth that people from other countries and other cultures bring to the United States. “ As a recently naturalized citizen, I have a message to those like me who can now exercise that power. The power of our vote. Let’s show our humanity in how we treat our neighbors, but also let’s show solidarity at the ballot box,” Fasika Alem, United African Organization (UAO) Programs Director. “Elections matter. Make a plan and vote.” “Our church is home to Indigenous people and to immigrants, old and new. People without documents worship in our assemblies and lead our ministries. Scripture commands: ‘Love the stranger as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.’ For decades, our church has urged compassionate ways for longtime undocumented neighbors to gain legal status,” said Bishop Erik Christensen of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. “Forty years ago, Congress opened a path to citizenship and those who received status in time became citizens, homeowners, and neighbors. Now is the time to finish that work. " As a Haitian immigrant, experiencing the agonizing pain and fear of the Haitian community every day who have lost TPS, I particularly welcome the resolution, because it brings to light all the changes needed in our immigration system to ensure the safety of our immigrant friends and family members who are here and deserve justice and dignity,” said Tessa Petit, Florida Immigrant Coalition Executive Director and Co-Chair of FIRM. “It is time for immigrants to no longer be treated as political pawns and sub-creatures, and this resolution will engage Congress to put an end to the abuse of our communities.” “1 of every 4 ICE arrests happen in Texas. In just over three months, ICE shot and killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston, shot Wilber Rafael Garces Perez in Austin, hospitalized Miguel Parra-Hernandez after striking him with an ICE vehicle in Houston, and has separated countless of families,” said Lizeth Chacon, Workers Defense Executive Director . “Immigrant workers and their families strengthen and build our state – Texas is their home, and for many it has been for more than 30 years. It's time for Congress to act, for there to be an end to ICE violence and a real pathway to citizenship for all immigrant workers and their families.” “ For 25 years, my mother and I were both undocumented. We were able to adjust to legal permanent residency because we qualified for a U visa, something that only undocumented immigrants who are victims of a violent crime could apply for. There are over 12 million undocumented immigrants in the United States who have no pathway to citizenship and I sure wish not a single one ever needs to apply to a U visa,” said Jose-Arnulfo Cabrera, National Campaigns and Congressional Affairs Deputy Director, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) . “But that is how broken our immigration system is and why Congresswoman Ramirez’s resolution is quite important today. ” The violence of the Department of Homeland Security under the Trump administration has only served to underscore citizenship's importance. Last week, a five year old child had to watch his father get shot by agents of our government. He is only the latest child to be failed by the unimageable cruelty of the DHS's at-all-costs approach to mass deportations,” said Ben D’Avanzo, National Immigration Law Center . “But he was also failed by our completely broken immigration system that has allowed families to go without health care, be abused by their employers, and stripped of longtime protections. This resolution represents the right pathway, one that upholds our core values and refuses to pit immigrant communities against each other.” “LULAC is proud to support Congresswoman Ramirez’s resolution to protect immigrant families, defend workers, and create pathways to citizenship. As America celebrates 250 years of independence, we should remember who helped build this country,” said Dr. Ray Serrano, National Director of Research & Policy, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). “Congress needs to act. Keep families together. Protect workers. Give people a fair chance at citizenship. Our families helped build this country. We deserve a place in its future.” “ The Haitian and other immigrant communities are being terrorized, racially profiled and persecuted by an immigration enforcement system that has placed families in fear of separation, detention, deportation, and forced return to a country facing profound humanitarian and security challenges,” said Guerline Jozef, Executive Director of Haitian Bridge Alliance. “The Reimagining Safety Act offers an opportunity to fundamentally rethink a system that has caused enormous harm to immigrant communities and provide pathways to people who have an integral, essential part of our communities across the U.S. Safety cannot be achieved through fear. It must be grounded in dignity, due process, family unity, and the protection of human rights.” For the full text of the resolution, CLICK HERE . To watch the full press conferences, CLICK HERE . For photos of the event, CLICK HERE . Background: 40 years ago, Congress passed the Immigration Reform and Control Act, creating a pathway to citizenship for approximately 2.7 million immigrants. Today, the American people are overwhelmingly in support of a pathway to citizenship, the popularity of which has grown because of the brutality we have witnessed over the last 2 years. For more than a year, IL-03 has been targeted, terrorized, and attacked by DHS with zero accountability. Congresswoman Ramirez has led the call for a pathway to citizenship for all and accountability from DHS. Ramirez co-leads Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia’s Dream and Promise Act and became the second signature on the discharge petition to force a vote on the legislation. The discharge petition currently has 217 signatures of the 218 needed for a vote. ### Issues : Immigration