Senate Bill 744

Janelle Tupper 6-27-2013
Katie Anderson / Sojourners

Pray4Reform gathering at the Capitol. Katie Anderson / Sojourners

By a 68-32 vote, the Senate just passed S.744, a bipartisan immigration reform bill that people of faith have held up as part of a solution to the United States’ broken immigration system. While it still has to make its way through the House of Representatives, here are the top 10 things that would happen if S. 744 became law:

1.  It would create a roadmap to citizenship for aspiring Americans. 

Current immigration law has no way forward for immigrants who don’t have the right documents. The Senate bill would open doors for them to become full members of society.

2.  It would bring hope to lots of people. 

Around 8 million of the 11.4 million aspiring Americans living in the shadows would be able to gain legal status, giving them hope and opportunity. That’s as many people as live in the entire state of New York – a huge impact.