NEWARK, NJ – A newly-introduced plan to repair the nation’s broken immigration system is a welcome breakthrough that could bring 11 million people out of the shadows, unify American families and stabilize our communities, members and officers of 32BJ SEIU said today. The historic bill offers real hope for millions of aspiring citizens living in fear and is a significant step towards fixing this country’s broken system once and for all.
“This is going to change a lot of people’s lives for the better,” 32BJ member Benjamin Jimenez, an Airport Security Agent at Newark Liberty International Airport who lives in North Bergen, NJ. “People want to work hard and build a better life, and this new law will help them. It’s the American dream.”
32BJ has been a leader in the fight to bring 11 million people out of the shadows and put them on an earned path to citizenship. The members and officers are committed to working with members of Congress to address concerns about border security, while making sure that the roadmap to citizenship for the millions of aspiring Americans isn’t thwarted by unreasonable barriers.
“America finally has an opportunity to get rid of this two-tier workforce,” 32BJ New Jersey State Director Kevin Brown said. “The bill introduced today offers real hope for hardworking aspiring citizens. We look forward to a solution that worker protections, reunites families who have been torn apart for far too long, and heals families already here by ending deportation proceedings.”
32BJ President Héctor Figueroa commended the bipartisan group of Senators, particularly Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), for their efforts on finalizing and introducing an immigration bill that is worthy of America’s values as a nation committed to freedom and entrepreneurship.
“It’s an example of what we can accomplish as a nation when we put aside partisan rancor and focus on what’s best for the nation,” Figueroa said. “We recognize that this bill is result of hard work and compromise, designed to accommodate various needs and at times competing concerns. We will work tirelessly to preserve core elements while striving to remedy problematic elements of the bill. We see our work as a long-term commitment to mobilize and organize for humane and reasonable immigration policy that builds our economy, strengthens our communities and contributes to the innovation and energy that makes this country great.”
With more than 125,000 members, including 9,000 in New Jersey, 32BJ is the largest property services union in the country..