For Immediate Release: May 5, 2021
BALTIMORE, MD – In response to the Baltimore City Council’s unanimous passage of the latest City Council Resolution in support for immigration reform, Lydia Walther-Rodriguez, Baltimore and Central Maryland Region Director for CASA issued the following statement:
“CASA commends the Baltimore City Council for its continuous commitment to be a Welcoming City where immigrants of diverse backgrounds are welcomed to live and thrive. Congress should model Baltimore City in embracing our immigrant community. This resolution calls President Biden and Congress to provide a pathway to citizenship for all Immigrants. Our immigrant communities work as essential workers, have been long-time members of our communities, and call this country their home. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, our communities were already plagued with a pandemic of systemic oppression, federal administration attacks, racism, and inequities. And when the COVID-19 pandemic struck, our immigrant community was discriminated against once more through the exclusion from federal emergency relief programs. Now more than ever our immigrant community deserves this overdue pathway to citizenship!”
“I am proud that my colleagues unanimously supported my resolution calling on President Biden and Congress to immediately create a path to citizenship for our essential immigrant workers, DACA and TPS participants,” said Odette Ramos, Baltimore City Councilwoman for District 14. “It is tragic that our immigrant taxpayers could not access federal programs to provide relief during COVID. This is one more way our country has failed immigrants, and we are making a statement that such policies cannot stand.”
“As a Councilmember that represents a District built on the backs of our immigrant neighbors, I stand with CASA in calling on the Biden Administration to create a true path to citizenship for all.” said Zeke Cohen, resolution sponsor and District 1 Council member. “We are proud of the resolution we passed to demand action from the Administration. As we saw throughout the pandemic, our immigrant neighbors are essential. They deserve to be treated with respect.”
The City Council committed in late April at CASA’s Relay Across America event to introduce the resolution as part of nationwide efforts to secure a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants including essential workers, DACA holders, and TPS holders.
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With over 100,000 members across the states of Maryland, Virginia, and South Central Pennsylvania, CASA is the largest member-based Latino and immigrant organization in the mid-Atlantic region. Visit us at www.wearecasa.org and follow us on Twitter at @CASAforall
