House approves immigration bills for ‘Dreamers,’ farmworkers

Two bills offering legal status to “Dreamers” and farmworkers were approved by the House March 18 and will now go to the Senate. WikiCommons

More than 2 million “Dreamers,” minors brought to the U.S. illegally, and 1 million migrant farmers are one step closer to American citizenship after the U.S. House of Representatives passed two immigration bills last month. The approvals represented some of Congress’ first actions regarding the legal status of undocumented immigrants under President Joe Biden’s new administration.

Now, the two bills will face voters in the Senate, which may make passing them difficult, as immigration is a largely discussed topic by Republicans. In order to break the filibuster, Democrats will need the votes of at least 10 Republican senators for the bills to pass.

If the American Dream and Promise Act of 2021 is passed in the Senate, it will provide a multi-step pathway to residency for individuals who came to the U.S. as children. In order to qualify for eligibility, individuals must meet specific employment requirements, education requirements and security checks. For migrant farm workers, the second bill would grant certified agriculture worker status to undocumented farmers who have been working in the U.S. for the past two years.

Marisa Cianciarulo, an immigration law specialist and associate dean for academic affairs at Chapman University’s Dale E. Fowler School of Law, told The Panther that although she is unsure if the bills will make it past the Senate, she believes that immigration to the U.S. is directly proportional to the well-being of the nation’s economy. For instance, about half of all agriculture laborers in the U.S. are undocumented migrants. 

“Immigration is primarily an economic phenomenon,” Cianciarulo said. “Immigrants come to the United States because the United States needs workers, but also the United States acts very much as a magnet because it needs people to fulfill the jobs that immigrants fill.” 

Students like Victor Jacinto, a sophomore health science major at Chapman and a first-generation American, believe it’s essential these bills be passed in the Senate. As the co-president of First-Gen Ambassadors, a Chapman University student mentoring organization, Jacinto works closely with other first-generation students to provide them with resources and opportunities to succeed as U.S. citizens. 

After his mother left Mexico in 2001 to escape poverty and seek opportunities in America, Jacinto’s family faced the barriers of learning an entirely new language while trying to navigate an unknown environment. 

“We always talk about how life is very different from how (my parents) lived back in Mexico,” Jacinto said. “Income-wise and opportunity-wise, they talk about how they never would have imagined having two kids going to private school and receiving an American education.”

Wendy Medina Herrera, a sophomore double major in film production and self-designed Latinx studies, is also a first-generation American student from Mexico. 

“I can understand the fear of having your parents possibly be deported,” Herrera said. “For a DACA recipient that doesn’t have citizenship, I can’t imagine that fear of uncertainty that you can have your life ripped away from you.” 

If these bills are passed in the Senate, it will give many students access to an American education and the opportunity to attain legal status. Not only will this provide students with academic and business opportunities, but it will benefit their families, Cianciarulo said.

“I don't blame anyone's parents for making this difficult decision (to come to this country),” Cianciarulo said. “We should recognize not only our students who are DACA-eligible or otherwise undocumented, but also their parents, and recognize the factual reasons why they are here and the contributions that they make to our country.”