Immigration groups push Democrats to prioritise citizenship pathway

More than 150 groups want the new Democratic Congress to defund ICE and Border Patrol and open a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

More than 150 immigration rights organisations are urging Democrats to cut funding for federal immigration enforcement agencies and create a pathway to citizenship when the party takes control of the next Congress, The Hill reports.

In a letter sent Monday and first shared with Politico, the groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, United We Dream and the National Immigration Law Center, urged Democrats to “prioritize a bold agenda” on immigration. They also want Congress to block additional funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol until changes are made to how the agencies operate.

The groups want billions of dollars allocated to the Department of Homeland Security redirected to programmes aimed at lowering costs for Americans. They are asking lawmakers to introduce legislation allowing smoother pathways to permanent legal status and eventually citizenship, without tougher enforcement measures.

“The harms inflicted on immigrant communities by this administration will echo for generations,” they wrote.

The demands come less than a week after Democrats won both chambers of Congress. President Donald Trump has said his crackdown “might be too tough,” and has signalled openness to negotiating, but his appointment of Stephen Miller as chief of staff could complicate that.