Statement From Senior Advisor and Chief Spokesperson Symone Sanders on Vice President Kamala Harris’s Meeting With Immigrant Women Who Work in the Care Economy
Released on June 15, 2021
Today, on the ninth anniversary of the creation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, Vice President Kamala Harris met with immigrant women who work in the care economy, including two DACA recipients. U.S. Senators Bob Menendez (NJ) and Dick Durbin (IL), as well as Ai-Jen Poo and Jessica Morales Rocketto of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, also participated.
The Vice President heard directly from two DACA recipients, Scarleth Herrera Lopez and Gloria Elizabeth Blanco; two Temporary Protected Status (TPS) recipients, Melissa Larette and Rukmani Bhattari Adhikari; and two green card holders, Yaquelin Lopez Chavez and Gilda Blanco. The women told the Vice President about the challenges they face on the frontlines during the pandemic, and how they and their loved ones have experienced the U.S. immigration system. The Vice President thanked the women for the critically important work they do, for their courage, and for sharing their personal stories with her and the group.
During the conversation, the Vice President reiterated the urgent need for Congress to create a clear pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, farmworkers, and individuals with Temporary Protected Status, and she called on the U.S. Senate to pass the American Dream and Promise Act and the Farm Workforce Modernization Act. She thanked Chairman Durbin for his leadership on the American Dream and Promise Act, and Chairman Menendez for his leadership on the U.S. Citizenship Act.
