Every week at All Saints Church we put our faith into action. This week we urge our members of Congress to support two bills, the U.S. Citizenship Act and the America’s Children Act, to get undocumented immigrants on a path towards residency and/or citizenship.

The issue of undocumented immigrants has gone unsolved in this country for decades. Many have been in this country for years, contributing to our society and economy, while living through the constant stress of knowing there are people who want them deported. Why don’t we get them on a path towards citizenship, or at least residency?

Towards that end, we have become aware of two recently introduced bills that will accomplish these goals and we should support them.

One bill is the U.S. Citizenship Act. This legislation is built on a fundamental truth: we can have safe, secure borders and policies that reflect our values as a nation of immigrants.

The U.S. Citizenship Act will:

• Create an earned roadmap to citizenship for all 11 million undocumented immigrants, providing Dreamers, TPS holders, and some farmworkers with an immediate path to citizenship.
• Create safe and legal channels for people to seek protection, so they can apply for legal status in Central America instead of making the dangerous journey north.
• Address the root causes of migration from Central America.
• Keep families together by clearing immigration backlogs, including spouses and children of green card holders as immediate family members, and increasing per-country caps for family-based immigration.
• Cracks down on bad actors by enhancing the ability to prosecute individuals involved in smuggling, narcotics and trafficking networks who are responsible for drugs flowing into our country and the exploitation of migrants. It will also expand transnational anti-gang task forces in Central America.

The other bill is the America’s Children Act. It would provide a pathway to citizenship for hundreds of thousands of “Documented Dreamers” — children of long-term visa holders who have been waiting years and — in some cases decades — for a green card.

This bipartisan bill will prevent these young people from “aging out” of their parents’ visas when they turn 21, and create additional green card opportunities for them. But right now, they are in limbo. There are more than 250,000 young people who were brought here legally, grew up here, and went to school here, but are forced to make the choice between self-deportation and leaving for a country they might not even remember, or staying in the U.S. and living undocumented.

Both of these bills are not just about reforming our broken immigration system — they are about addressing a moral wrong and ensuring the American Dream is available to everyone in this country. Please sign a letter to your members of Congress urging them to support this legislation.

Options to Take Action:

1. Sign a letter at the Action Table on Sunday.
2. Download, sign and mail an action letter to your Members of Congress.
   Letter for California Residents                Letter for Residents of other states

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If you ever need to look up your member of the U.S. House of Representatives or your U.S. Senators check here: www.house.gov and www.senate.gov.

To find contact information for your California State Senator or California State Assemblymember check here: www.senate.ca.gov and www.assembly.ca.gov.