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Tallahassee, Fla. Today, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried made the following statement applauding the news that U.S. Senate Democrats proposed budget resolution includes $107 billion to create a pathway to citizenship for qualified immigrants.

In Florida, our vibrant immigrant communities are an integral part of our lives, culture, and economy. Immigration reform is long overdue, and Im glad the Senate is working to provide the 11 million undocumented people in our country with the certainty and status they deserve, Commissioner Fried said. Immigrants are a key part of our countrys story, and we must all come together to provide them with the opportunity to live, work, and achieve the American dream. I urge Congress to preserve this important immigration provision as the package moves forward, codifying a pathway to citizenship as a critical first step in the fight for broader reform.

Commissioner Fried also published an op-ed in the South Florida Sun Sentinel today calling on Congress to include a pathway to citizenship in the reconciliation package.

Commissioner Fried has been an outspoken advocate for Floridas immigrant community throughout her time as state Agriculture Commissioner. During the pandemic, she has released bilingual COVID-19 safety and vaccine resources for farmworkers, many of whom are immigrants, and fought for farmworkers to be designated as essential workers. Commissioner Fried has also advocated for free vaccines to be provided to all Floridians regardless of immigration status. She also recently announced the creation of the states first Farmworker Advisory Council under the Florida Department of Agriculture.

The op-ed can be found on the Sun Sentinel website in English and Spanish, and the full text is below.

Congress should provide pathway to citizenship for our immigrant community By Commissioner Nikki Fried

August 9, 2021

The United States has always been a nation of immigrants, which is part of the greatness and strength that characterizes us as a country. Immigrants are part of our identity, of who we are as a nation, and even more so, as a state. I am proud to be a Floridian, to have been born and raised in the diversity of Miami in the midst of an inclusive community with many cultures represented.

The contributions of immigrants to our economy, our culture and our society are undeniable, and it is our responsibility to do everything in our power to ensure they are treated with dignity and respect. Immigrants deserve nothing less.

In Florida, the importance of our immigrant community cannot be understated. In fact, over 40% of immigrants in Florida work in agriculture, ensuring every day that food is brought to the tables of not only our fellow Floridians but the entire country.

Throughout the pandemic, I made it a priority to reach every worker in our agricultural community by creating a series of bilingual videos with general information about COVID-19, best practices to avoid infection and spreading the virus, and overall farmworker safety for those working during this challenging time. Also, in partnership with Centro Campesino, we launched a bilingual campaign dedicated exclusively to promoting the vaccine among our farmworkers.

Since vaccine distribution began, I have urged Gov. DeSantis to include our agricultural workers at the top of the list, prioritizing these essential workers. I also called for vaccinations to be given to all regardless of their legal status. At the Florida Department of Agriculture, we will always work to protect farmworkers no matter who they are, where theyre from, or what papers they have.

To that end, I recently announced the creation of the states first Farmworker Advisory Council under the Florida Department of Agriculture, providing those who feed our families a voice on the Florida Cabinet.

Unfortunately, instead of recognizing the vital contributions of the many immigrants who worked on the front lines throughout the pandemic, DeSantis chose to make false claims blaming immigrants for the spread of COVID-19. This is shameful and outrageous. As essential workers in the agricultural, medical and hospitality industries among others, our immigrant community helped keep our country moving and our economy afloat while putting their personal health on the line. They deserve our thanks, not baseless blame.

Immigrants are an important part of the fabric of our society, part of the tapestry that is Florida and the United States. We need to celebrate immigrants that means taking long-overdue, common-sense action to help immigrants live, work and achieve the American dream in Florida.

I recently had the opportunity to speak directly with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) recipients at a roundtable hosted by the Florida Immigrant Coalition. Hearing their powerful stories moved me and encouraged me to once again raise my voice on behalf of our immigrant community.

Many of those who qualified under DACA know no other country than ours. And for many TPS recipients, their home countries are no safer today than when they originally were granted this status.

It is beyond time to do the right thing and pass comprehensive immigration reform in our country. This is why I call on Congress now to include a pathway to citizenship in the reconciliation package and finally provide the 11 million undocumented people who call the United States home with the certainty and status that they deserve so they may live without fear of being deported and separated from their loved ones.

More than anything, it is time to embrace what makes us great as a nation: the immigrant heritage that makes us who we are.

Nicole Nikki Fried is the Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services and an independently elected member of the Florida Cabinet.

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