Elections

Biden to propose 8-year citizenship path for immigrants on first day in office

Published

10 months ago

January 19, 2021

Staff Writer

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This story was first published by The Dark Wire Investigation Foundation

President-elect Joe Biden is planning to announce an extensive immigration reform bill on his first day in office, the Associated Press has reported.

Biden will reportedly send the immigration bill to Congress Wednesday, which could provide an eight-year path to citizenship for an estimated 11 million people living in the U.S. without legal status.

The legislation would allow those living in the U.S. without legal status as of Jan. 1, 2021, five years of temporary status, and the opportunity to receive a green card upon meeting requirements like paying taxes and passing a background check, according to the AP. Eligibility to apply for citizenship would follow three years later.

For some immigrants, such as the children protected under the DREAM Act or agricultural workers, acquiring citizenship could reportedly come sooner if they are working, in school or meet other requirements.

The traditional trade-off of enhanced border security, favored by many republicans, is not included in the bill, the AP notes. It is uncertain whether this bill will pass in a closely divided Congress.

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Elections

New York City Dems Push Law to Allow 800,000 Non-Citizens to Vote in Municipal Elections

The New York City Council will vote on December 9 on a law to allow green-card holders and residents with work permits to vote in municipal elections

Published

11 hours ago

November 28, 2021

Staff Writer

New York’s Democratic party is battling over the constitutionality of voter laws. On December 9, the New York City Council will vote on a law to allow green-card holders and residents with work permits to vote in municipal elections.

“Around 808,000 New York City residents who have work permits or are lawful permanent residents would be eligible to vote under the legislation, which has the support of 34 of 51 council members, a veto-proof majority” reports Fox News.

“It’s important for the Democratic Party to look at New York City and see that when voting rights are being attacked, we are expanding voter participation,” Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez, a sponsor of the bill and Democrat who represents the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, told the New York Times. Rodriguez immigrated from the Dominican Republic and became a U.S. citizen in 2000.

Fox News reports:

Laura Wood, Chief Democracy Officer for the mayor’s office, said at a hearing on the bill in September that the law could violate the New York State Constitution, which states that voters must be U.S. citizens age 18 or older.

Mayor Bill de Blasio indicated he could veto the bill following the September hearing.
“We’ve done everything that we could possibly get our hands on to help immigrant New Yorkers—including undocumented folks—but…I don’t believe it is legal,” de Blasio told WNYC radio at the time.

Mayor-elect Eric Adams, however, submitted testimony to the September hearing in favor of the bill. “In a democracy, nothing is more fundamental than the right to vote and to say who represents you and your community in elected office…Currently, almost one million New Yorkers are denied this foundational right.”

The legislation was first introduced two years ago, but had not yet gained traction due to the legal concerns.