FOR RELEASE: June 18, 2024
Contact: Magaly Smith, magaly@weareoneamerica.org, 206-452-8403 

OneAmerica, Washington Immigrant Rights Organization,
Celebrates a Historic Win for Immigrants in WA and Across the Country
President Biden’s Executive Action expands protections for undocumented immigrants, keeping families together and safe from deportation 

SEATTLE, WA – Today, after decades of organizing, the immigrant rights movement wins the second largest legalization program since the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was announced 12 years ago. President Biden issued an executive action that expands access to existing “parole in place” processes that will allow an estimated 500,000 undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens to secure protections from deportation, gain work authorization, and in some cases, access a pathway to legal residence in the U.S.  

OneAmerica celebrates this victory and commends President Biden for delivering on his presidential campaign promise of keeping families together and safe. OneAmerica’s Executive Director, Roxana Norouzi, issued the following statement in response to the action: 

“OneAmerica celebrates this action with our immigrant members who have been mobilizing to win a pathway to citizenship and a humane and just immigration system for decades. Our immigrant leaders organized protests, petitions, meetings with Congress, and more, to ensure President Biden kept his campaign promises and today, that work has resulted in a win that will keep thousands of our families together.  

This hard-won victory for our communities will bring relief to many families, but it does not go far enough. It is estimated that approximately 500,000 undocumented immigrants would be eligible for these protections, 12,000 of whom live here in Washington State. This leaves out an estimated 10.5 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S.. Our communities need Congress, with the administration’s support, to enact long-overdue reform that will provide stability and pathways to citizenship for all. 

Our organization has supported immigrant communities for years and we recognize that the real victory is in implementation. We will work to ensure as many eligible Washingtonian immigrants can access the protections set by this executive action. In addition, we will continue to demand a pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants who will not qualify, including many of our own members. Legislation now in Congress, such as an update to the Registry, could set nearly 8 million immigrants on a pathway to citizenship and we urge Congress and President Biden to move it forward. 

For immigrant communities to thrive, they all must live without fear of family separation or deportation. They all must be able to work freely and continue contributing to our economy. And they all must have the opportunity to access legal pathways for permanent status. We need deeper commitment from our congressmembers and more proactive action. Voters will be thinking of these actions come election day, and although we celebration this win that will bring protection and safety to many immigrants, there are far more in our community still waiting for a just immigration system.”