Leading Immigrants Rights Activist, Labor Organizer Ai-jen Poo Calls for Road to Citizenship to be Expanded to All

Statement from Ai-jen Poo, director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance and co-director of the Caring Across Generations Campaign, on President Obama’s immigration blueprint:

We applaud the President for his commitment to creating a clear and accessible roadmap to citizenship for the millions of aspiring Americans currently living and working in this country. But this road needs to be open to all who dream of a better life in the United States—not just those with advanced degrees. And we need the President’s continued leadership to make the dream a reality.

Millions of new American immigrants work in this country every single day, caring for our children, the elderly, and people with disabilities. It is imperative that the domestic workforce be given the chance to step out of the shadows and continue the work they do every day to make all work in this nation possible. The demand for these workers is growing and they represent an amazing opportunity to strengthen our economy and transform the way we care for ourselves and each other. Any comprehensive, successful immigration policy needs to expand opportunity for all rather than selectively applying our nation’s values.