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Letter: Give Dreamers and undocumented workers a well-earned pathway to citizenship

FILE - In this June 18, 2020, file photo, people hold signs during a vehicle caravan rally to support the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program (DACA), around MacArthur Park in Los Angeles. Immigrant rights activists energized by a new Democratic administration and majorities on Capitol Hill are gearing up for a fresh political battle. A coalition of national advocacy groups on Monday announced a multimillion-dollar campaign to help push through President Joe Biden’s plan to open a citizenship pathway for up to 11 million people. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

For over a year, we have been tested by the COVID-19 pandemic. During this trying time, many thousands of Utahns are working hard on the front lines as essential workers, serving in critical industries like health care, agriculture and working at the grocery store.

Among these essential workers, according to a report from the Center for Migration Studies, about 13 percent were born in other countries and 60,000 are undocumented, including nearly 2,500 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients.

Their tireless efforts during the pandemic have kept our country going and have shined a light on our broken immigration system, revealing the desperate need for modernizing how we approach undocumented immigrants. More specifically, we need to provide certainty for the many long-term undocumented agriculture workers who have maintained our food supply.

To that end, Congress should immediately move to approve the Farm Workforce Modernization Act (FWMA). This legislation would give long-time undocumented agriculture workers an earned pathway to citizenship, ensuring that our agriculture industry is not jeopardized by labor uncertainty.

Also, Congress should finally solidify the status of DACA recipients, young immigrants who came to this nation as children. These immigrants have built lives for themselves here, created jobs and businesses, attended college, and made themselves a critical part of the country. Through the bipartisan Dream Act, Congress has the opportunity to provide Dreamers with long-overdue permanent protections.

I urge Sen. Mitt Romney to lead his colleagues to pass these much-needed bills and give Dreamers and undocumented essential workers an earned pathway to citizenship..

Joseph Rivera De La Vega, Taylorsville

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