August 16 Support Letter for HR 1511 Federal Immigration Bill

August 16, 2023

The Honorable Jared Huffman
United State House of Representatives
1527 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

Re: U.S. House of Representatives 1511 Renewing Immigration Provisions of the Immigration Act of 1929

Dear Congressman Huffman: 

On behalf of the Marin County Board of Supervisors, we are writing to join you in support of H.R. 1511. The bill would critically address the long-needed update of the Registry date to provide lawful residency to undocumented immigrants who have lived, worked and paid taxes in the United States for decades. 

First enacted in 1929, the Registry Program (administered by the Department of Homeland Security) provides a pathway to legal citizenship to long-time residents who have been continuously present in the United States since a specific cutoff date. However, that date was last updated nearly 40 years ago – to January 1, 1972. This bill would remove the current cutoff date provision, and would instead open the program to eligible individuals who have resided in the United States for at least seven years. 

An estimated 16,000 residents of Marin County are undocumented, in addition to the County’s total immigration population of 50,000. Statewide, an estimated 22 percent of California’s 10.5 million immigrants are undocumented (Public Policy Institute of California). Immigrants, both documented and undocumented, are a crucial component to the state’s economy, culture, and communities. We wholly support a pathway to naturalization for the thousands of eligible, long-term residents who have contributed to our local communities, and the millions who have contributed nationwide. 

H.R. 1511 aligns with our County’s values of equity and support for some of the most vulnerable members of our community, and we thank you for your support of this important legislation. We also urge you to encourage your colleagues to move to support this bill as well. 

Respectfully, 

Stephanie Moulton-Peters, President
Marin County Board of Supervisors 

Cc: Marin County Board of Supervisors
Honorable Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren