FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, May 8, 2024
Media Contact:
Anabel Mendoza | anabel@unitedwedream.org
Ivonne Rodriguez | irodriguez@americasvoice.org
Washington, D.C.— Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a full committee hearing on the urgent need for Congress to protect and deliver permanent legal protections for immigrant youth, given ongoing attacks against the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in the courts. As hundreds of thousands of DACA recipients and DACA-eligible young people await a critical decision in the lawsuit seeking to end the program, there is no time to waste for the Biden administration nor Congress.
The Home is Here Coalition has been urging President Biden to take proactive action by pursuing every executive action possible to protect DACA recipients, DACA-eligible youth, and immigrant communities at large before a decision out of the 5th Circuit Court.
Bruna Sollod, Senior Political Director of United We Dream, said:
“The Biden Administration must take the 5th Circuit Court’s track record seriously when it comes to DACA and understand that hundreds of thousands of people in this country are facing an existential threat of job loss, deportation and family separation. There is nothing stopping the Biden Administration from taking administrative action to ensure immigrant youth can reliably and fairly access existing pathways to adjust their status. Right now, there are roughly 100,000 DACA recipients who are married to a U.S. citizen and could be sponsored for a green card if it weren’t for arbitrary rules and immigration bars preventing them. The administration is also well within their capacity to grant parole for groups with significant humanitarian concerns, which could include current and former DACA recipients and hundreds of thousands of young people who were excluded from DACA. The White House must use every tool possible to ensure a safety net is put in place for DACA recipients, DACA-eligible youth, and their families before a potentially catastrophic court decision.”
Yuna Oh, Research Associate for America’s Voice and DACA recipient, said:
“DACA has been a beacon of hope and opportunity for people like me and my family. However, its limited scope has left many in a state of perpetual uncertainty in a country we call home. As reflected in numerous polls, the support for a pathway to citizenship is clear and underscores the pressing need for change. The Biden Administration and Congress have a critical and limited window of opportunity to build on DACA’s successes and offer different pathways to protection and relief, such as TPS and DED, for DACA recipients, eligible and non-eligible youth, and their families and communities. The time for action is now. Mine and other mixed-status families cannot wait.”
Cindy Woods, National Policy Counsel at Americans for Immigrant Justice, said:
“For the past eight years, DACA and the future of Dreamers across the country has been under attack. After years of being on the defensive, and with a potentially catastrophic court decision looming, now is the time for President Biden and Congress to act to protect DACA recipients and DACA-eligible youth. DACA recipients and Dreamers positively contribute to our society in so many ways. They support and enrich the lives of their families, friends, and communities. They also pay local, state, and federal taxes—contributing to social safety nets that many Dreamers cannot benefit from themselves. National polling consistently shows widespread support for creating a pathway to citizenship for this population and protecting Dreamers. It is critical that the Administration do all in its power to implement protections for this at-risk population and ensure that American families can stay together and continue to thrive.”
Wendy Cervantes, Director of Immigration and Immigrant Families for the Center for Law and Social Policy, said:
“The DACA program has allowed recipients to pursue their careers, contribute to their communities, and support their families. There are more than 300,000 children—many of them young U.S.-born citizens—who have at least one parent with DACA, and whose futures are also tied to the fate of the DACA program. Thousands of kids graduating from U.S. high schools every year who also deserve every opportunity to achieve their full potential have no other option for relief. We call on the Biden Administration to pursue all administrative relief options available to provide DACA recipients and undocumented young people the permanent stability and peace of mind they and their families need to thrive.”
Karen Tumlin, Founder and Director of Justice Action Center, said:
“DACA has been a lifeline for undocumented immigrant youth and has proven to be one of the most successful immigration programs in our recent history. However, the current iteration of the program is not enough: The program is still limited in scope, and a court order currently locks out thousands of other DACA-eligible youth from being able to benefit from the program. As our clients’ stories demonstrate, we all lose when DACA recipients are being forced to live their lives in two-year increments and are blocked from contributing to our communities and our nation as a whole. It is past time for the Biden Administration to take bold action to protect immigrant communities while zealously defending the program against xenophobic legal challenges in court.”
Fatima Flores Lagunas, Political Director of Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights and DACA recipient, said:
“This is a golden opportunity for the Administration to act on their promises by taking steps to protect DACA recipients, undocumented youth not eligible to apply for the program, and their families. It is time for this Administration and Congress to take the reins on immigration reform and protect millions of families. We have waited long enough for the perfect political moment to protect our immigrant communities, and all the while millions of individuals cannot fully enjoy a livelihood free from fear and angst. We call on Congress and the Administration to be bold and make a difference now by supporting a pathway for citizenship.”
Diana Pliego, Federal Advocacy Strategist of the National Immigration Law Center, said:
“DACA was the bridge I needed to get an education and build a life that once felt unreachable. But with DACA under attack and inaccessible to new applicants, it’s past time for policymakers to arrive at commonsense solutions that provide the long-term stability our community needs. We urge Congress and the Biden administration to act now to ensure that immigrant youth, and all immigrants who call the U.S. home, can live free from fear and are free to thrive.”
Andrea Rathbone Ramos, Digital Communications Specialist of American Immigration Council and DACA Recipient, said:
“Today’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing serves as a stark reminder of the flawed system immigrant youth and their families have been navigating for over two decades. DACA was merely a temporary fix to a deeply flawed immigration system. Now, not only does DACA hang precariously in legal limbo, but an increasing number of immigrant youth are not even eligible for the program’s protections. It’s abundantly clear: Congress must act. For too long, our legislative process has been stalled, leaving immigrant youth who have grown up in this country in a state of uncertainty and precarity. But we cannot accept inaction any longer. Our families, our communities, and our economy are on the line. Congress must rise to the occasion, delivering the permanent protections and dignity immigrant youth and their families deserve.”
Gustavo Torres, Executive Director of CASA, said:
“DACA has been a lifeline, transforming the lives of our members who, thanks to this program, can support their families and earn a living. The Biden administration must act decisively and boldly to protect DACA recipients. Every day of delay, every moment of hesitation, casts our community’s future into deeper limbo. With tools like Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) at his disposal, the President has numerous pathways to enhance and build upon the protections offered by DACA—safeguarding not just individuals but their families and entire communities. We continue to urge the President: Secure our futures!”
Angel Reyes Rivas, Long Island Organizing Coordinator at Make the Road New York and DACA recipient, said:
“The Biden administration needs to do everything in its power to protect the DACA program. As a DACA recipient, this program has given me the opportunity to continue to grow professionally and academically. It has also allowed me to work to support and provide for my wife and children. With the possibility of a negative ruling from the 5th circuit court, the Biden administration has the moral responsibility to act immediately and do the right thing for the hundreds of thousands of people who live and contribute to this country which we consider our home.”
Antonio Arellano, Vice President of Communications at NextGen America, said:
“The DACA policy, now over a decade old, has been a saving grace that has given Dreamers the ability to think about a bigger and brighter future. But DACA protections are temporary, restrictive, and under constant legal threat from politicians. President Biden must take administrative action now to protect DACA recipients, undocumented youth, and all immigrant communities.”
Iliana Perez, Executive Director of Immigrants Rising, said:
“The continuous legal uncertainties surrounding DACA not only threaten the stability of more than half a million young immigrants but also leave out many more DACA-eligible individuals, further compounding the issue. At Immigrants Rising, we witness every day how undocumented young people are not just students seeking higher education; they are aspiring business leaders, innovators, and educators. By enabling them to contribute fully, we can rectify the missed economic opportunities and foster a more inclusive and prosperous society. Their right to remain and thrive in their homes here in the United States is unequivocal. It’s time for decisive action to protect them and uphold the values of opportunity and justice that define our country.”
Lorella Praeli, Co-Director of Community Change/Action, said:
“DACA has been a lifeline for undocumented youth, giving them the opportunity to work, go to school, buy homes, and build families. DACA recipients and their families are vital to the social fabric and economy of our communities, yet for too long this generation has been living in limbo. Whether at the mercy of the courts or outdated immigration laws, DACA recipients and other undocumented individuals are prevented from fully participating in their country for well-over a decade. The Biden administration must act quickly and boldly to deliver affirmative relief for immigrant youth, TPS-eligible individuals, and others.”
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The Home Is Here national coalition is fighting to protect DACA recipients, their families, and all immigrant communities at the U.S. Supreme Court. DACA recipients are undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children. They are also our nurses, our teachers, our coworkers, our family members, and our friends — and their home is here. For more information visit HomeIsHere.Us.