Nationwide – The White House has announced the legislative framework for the Build Back Better Act which includes a $100 billion investment in key immigrant provisions that will deeply impact the family immigration system. The framework is responsive to important asks made from Value Our Families that are necessary to successfully and meaningfully clear the immigration backlogs to ensure family-based visas for thousands of families. Congress must take up the provisions and pass them in the final bill.

The Value Our Families Coalition issued the following statement:

This White House BBB framework provides historic guidance that can clear the immigration backlog and reunite tens of thousands of families. It is a victory for all of those families stuck with no reprieve. While it will not provide an overnight fix, the language included is a strong acknowledgment of what is fundamentally wrong and a step in the right direction. We also celebrate the long-overdue investment in providing relief to undocumented community members and urge Congress to deliver on a pathway to citizenship.

Families separated by the immigration backlog have waited decades to see their loved ones, and once these important provisions are implemented, families can be reunited with their loved ones as the backlogs are cleared.

Earlier this year, our coalition sent a letter, urging the Administration to prioritize immigration backlogs by ensuring the maximum number of visas are issued for FY 2021 and by guaranteeing any unused visas will be rolled over into the next fiscal year. The framework’s inclusion of “enhancements to reduce backlogs” signals an important victory for immigrant families stuck in a broken system.

Now, we need Congress to act and make these provisions a reality. For too long, inaction has created a border of bureaucracy for thousands of immigrant families.

The House Rules Committee has released the text of the Reconciliation Bill for a prospective final floor vote in the coming week. We now look to Congress to pass legislation that reunifies families and enhances our family immigration system.

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