U.S. Rep. Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles) joined U.S. Rep. Linda T. Sánchez (D-Whittier) and U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) on Feb. 18 in introducing the bicameral U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021, President Joe Biden’s framework for the future of the United States immigration system.

Reps. Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose), Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-Downey), Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.), Judy Chu (D-Monterey Park), Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.) and Raul Ruiz (D-Coachella), and Sens. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) joined as chief cosponsors.

The legislation would provide millions of undocumented immigrants with a pathway to earned citizenship, including Dreamers, Temporary Protective Status recipients and essential workers; prioritize family reunification and keeping families together; and bolster the country’s long-term economic growth. The bill would also equip the country to responsibly and effectively manage the border with smart and effective investments, address root causes of migration that force people to leave Central America, and restore the United States’ commitment to human rights.

“I’m proud to join my colleagues in taking decisive and robust action to reform our immigration system,” Bass said. “Over the last four years, we all witnessed horrific immigration policies resulting in thousands of children being removed from their parents, families held in cages and refugees from as far away as Cameroon and countries in Western Africa forced to languish in Mexico because the U.S. consistently violated international asylum laws. It is my hope that my colleagues will join in voting to pass this important piece of legislation – reforming our immigration system.”

The U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 creates an earned roadmap to citizenship for all 11 million undocumented immigrants, providing Dreamers, TPS holders and some farmworkers with an expedited three-year path to citizenship, and giving all other undocumented immigrants who pass background checks and pay taxes with an eight-year path to citizenship without fear of deportation.

Additionally, it reforms the family-based immigration system to keep families together by recapturing visas from previous years to clear backlogs, including spouses and children of green card holders as immediate family members, and increasing per-country caps for family-based immigration. It also eliminates discrimination facing LGBTQ+ families, provides protections for orphans, widows and children, allows immigrants with approved family-sponsorship petitions to join family in the U.S. on a temporary basis while they wait for green cards to become available.

The bill also increases funding for immigrant integration initiatives and supports state and local governments, NGOs, and other community organizations that conduct inclusion programs, provide English language assistance and make available naturalization resources to immigrant communities.