Democrats expected to release immigration reform bill this week

The Biden administration and Democratic lawmakers are expected to release an immigration reform bill later this week, several people with knowledge of the matter told NBC News.

On his first day in office, President Biden shared his immigration priorities, and the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 proposal will include a pathway to citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants and the expansion of the refugee resettlement program, NBC News reports. It will also call for the deployment of more technology to secure the southern border.

If the proposal is too big for some lawmakers, the Biden White House is fine with breaking the legislation into pieces, NBC News reports, with lawmakers first passing bills to immediately legalize DREAMers and migrant farmworkers before moving on to other priorities.

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Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) is spearheading the immigration legislative effort in the Senate, and in a statement he said the "plan is not only about fixing our broken immigration system, but building a better one that reunites families, brings the undocumented community out of the shadows and on a path to citizenship, stands up for human rights, addresses root causes of migration, and includes a smart border security strategy."