- Senator Alex Padilla asked his colleagues in the Senate to advance with reforms that allow the protection of immigrants who already work in different fields, such as doctors and nurses, in addition to improving Green Card processing based on work
In a hearing at the Senate Immigration Subcommittee, chaired by Senator Alex Padilla (California), the urgency of approving immigration protections for essential workers, including doctors, among others, was emphasized.
“We know that immigrant health care workers can help fill the gap in the workforce and provide needed care, because they are already in the community across the United States,” said Senator Padilla. “They are already doing it. One in four physicians in the United States is an immigrant. And one in six nurses is an immigrant.”
He added that among this group there are approximately 34,000 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients and 11,600 Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders, the Democrat added at the hearing.
“And with an aging population in need of ever-increasing care, immigrants make up more than half of our physicians practicing geriatric medicine and nearly 38% of home health aides in the United States,” he emphasized. .
He asked to take into account these immigrant prescribers, the nurses who care for Americans.
“Immigrant health care professionals perform highly skilled procedures every day,” he noted. “And they are often the cornerstone of low-income and rural communities, places where a single foreign-born doctor can treat an entire community.”
Padilla maintains the position that various civil organizations have exposed in studies on how the migrant labor force can be essential in strategic areas.
“They can and want to be part of the solution to our health workforce crisis,” he said. “Yet even as we face unprecedented shortages in our healthcare system, the laws limiting the migration of highly-skilled healthcare workers are virtually unchanged since the 1990s.”
.@SenAlexPadilla in immigrant healthcare workers hearing: “In our hour of need, the U.S. is discouraging potential healthcare workers from trying to come to and work in the U.S…We need system-wide reforms that incentivize and welcome immigrants into our healthcare workforce.” pic.twitter.com/qP6vh0YiRj
— FWD.us (@FWDus) September 19, 2022
“There continue to be significant backlogs in processing green cards for critical health care workers,” Padilla said.
He acknowledged that these permits are valid for one year, so he urged that it be modified, so that there is the possibility of using those permits.
“The United States is effectively deterring potential health care workers from trying to come and work in the United States,” Padilla said.
The Democratic senator recalled that a plan he presented with Senate Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (Illinois) sought to protect five million essential workers.
“The essential worker citizenship law would protect healthcare workers who risked their lives to keep our community safe during the pandemic,” he said.
He added that protecting Dreamers is a priority.
The Democratic senator recalled that a plan he presented with Senate Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (Illinois) sought to protect five million essential workers.
“The essential worker citizenship law would protect healthcare workers who risked their lives to keep our community safe during the pandemic,” he said.
He added that protecting Dreamers is a priority.