National Women’s Law Center Urges Senate to Remember Women in Immigration Bill Debate

This week and next week, the Senate is debating S. 744, the comprehensive immigration reform bill. The current version of the bill includes provisions that are important for immigrant women, including protections survivors of domestic violence and for workers who report abuse, discrimination, or wage law violations on the job. As the bill is debated, we urge Senators to protect these provisions, ensure that women have full access to the path to citizenship, and to guard against amendments that harm women and families.

In a letter to the Senate, sent out this morning, we urge Senators to be guided by the following principles as they consider comprehensive immigration reform:

• Ensure that immigrant women have fair access to the path to citizenship and to green cards.
• Protect against employer exploitation of immigrants.
• Ensure work authorization for spouses.
• Make affordable health care available to lawfully present immigrants.
• Maintain access to Social Security benefits for lawful immigrants.
• Preserve tax credits for lawful immigrants.
• Extend critical safety net protections to lawful immigrants.
• Protect survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and trafficking.
• Help keep families together.

Immigrant women’s work is important to our economy and immigrant women are important contributors to our communities. Comprehensive immigration reform must meet the needs of immigrant women and the families that rely on them.