Bill Would Offer State "Citizenship" to Immigrants in New York

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PHOENIX — A bill, titled as the Home Act, has been presented and it addresses citizenship to immigrants who can show they have lived in the state and paid their taxes for the past three years, and who promise to obey state laws, continue paying their taxes and agree to serve on a jury. 

According to Fox Latino News, the campaign was launched by a group led by New York state Sen. Gustavo Rivera. It would award this “citizenship” to an estimated 2.7 million immigrants who live in the Empire State, regardless of their immigration status.

Those who meet the former requirements will receive a document which will allow them to pay in-state tuition and receive financial aid to attend state universities, be eligible for healthcare under Medicaid, obtain a driver’s license, have the right to vote in local and state elections and even run for public office.

The campaign kicked off Monday at Manhattan’s Battery Park. It already has the support of organizations like the Center for Popular Democracy, Make the Road New York and the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. EFE