Castro, Garcia, Ramirez, Krishnamoorthi Slam ICE for Targeting Dreamers
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia (TX-29), Congresswoman Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03), and Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08) are calling out the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for the unlawful and targeted arrests of recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), commonly known as Dreamers, under the Trump Administration.
In the letter sent to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, the members highlight Dreamers’ contributions to society, writing, “More than 530,000 individuals currently maintain active DACA protections nationwide. These young people live, work, and raise families in communities across our country… DACA recipients are screened for public safety concerns and are re-vetted every two years to maintain their status. However, recent communications from your department show a troubling pattern of DHS targeting DACA recipients.”
The members underscored an emerging pattern in which DHS targets Dreamers who have not committed any crime, writing, “DHS targeting and detaining DACA individuals who have complied with every requirement of the program leads us to believe that federal resources are not being directed towards genuine public safety threats. DACA recipients contribute to communities in every corner of America. They are starting families, teaching our children, caring for our sick, and strengthening the communities they have called home their entire lives.”
The members concluded by pointing out the agency’s contradictory figures on DACA arrests, writing, “DHS has provided Congress with contradictory figures on DACA arrests, calling into question the integrity of the agency's record-keeping…It is unclear how ICE arrested more DACA recipients in a nine-month window when compared to an eleven-month window. These inconsistent figures raise serious concerns about the accuracy and reliability of DHS’s reporting to Congress and warrant additional clarification.”
Read the full letter here.