The Sept. 30 Mayorkas memo is an underwhelming reiteration of the interim guidelines set into place by the Biden administration back in January. The resulting memo relies on the same tired, criminalizing language that enabled the Trump administration to reign terror on immigrant communities for four years. Unfortunately for the communities we serve, the result of Mayorkas efforts to reset immigration enforcement away from Trumpian levels of targeted, racist persecution did not match the bold proclamations of Democrat leaders on the campaign trail, who, under Biden’s leadership, promised more than they have delivered.

Today, Senate parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough ruled against Democrat efforts to create a path to citizenship through the budget reconciliation process, citing that the measures effect to the budget would be “merely incidental,” in a three-page memo sent to the Associated Press.

This past Friday, Democrats in the House of Representatives released draft language for a much-needed immigration proposal to be included in the budget reconciliation process. The draft bill includes language that would put millions on the pathway to citizenship, including DACA Recipients, TPS Holders, Farmworkers and Essential Workers. Now, we await a complicated political showdown where the Senate Parliamentarian must approve this bill for the budget reconciliation process. This process is intended to get around the obstructionist filibuster, used by Republicans for years to block progressive legislation.