CHC Urges Senate Leaders to Find Narrow Legislative Fix to Protect Dreamers Quickly
Washington, D.C.—Congressional Hispanic Caucus leadership today urged Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer to find a permanent, narrow, bipartisan legislative solution for Dreamers as quickly as possible.
“It is critical that the Senate work to find a permanent solution for Dreamers as soon as possible. Every day Congress fails to address DACA it results in more DACA recipients losing their jobs and facing possible deportation,” the Members wrote.
The Members continued: “Our Members have been working around the clock with advocates and our House and Senate colleagues, both Democrats and Republicans to craft a bipartisan Dreamer solution. Through this bipartisan work, we have identified priories that can help ensure the Senate passes a bipartisan and fair DACA compromise with overwhelming support by both parties and one that CHC Members can support.”
The letter was signed by: Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Caucus Chair; Rep. Joaquin Castro, Caucus First Vice Chair; Rep. Ruben Gallego, Caucus Second Vice Chair; Rep. Pete Aguilar, Caucus Whip; and Rep. Adriano Espaillat, Caucus Freshman Representative.
The full letter can be found here and is also pasted below.
February 13, 2018
The Honorable Mitch McConnell
Senate Majority Leader
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Charles Schumer
Senate Majority Leader
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Mitch McConnell
Dear Majority Leader McConnell and Minority Leader Schumer,
We are pleased to see that Majority Leader McConnell kept his commitment to have a floor debate on immigration and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program this week. It is critical that the Senate work to find a permanent solution for Dreamers as soon as possible. Every day Congress fails to address DACA it results in more DACA recipients losing their jobs and facing possible deportation.
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) has worked on immigration reform for over three decades and protections for Dreamers for nearly two decades. The CHC advocates for our constituents, the Hispanic community and, since President Trump ended the DACA program, has been working to provide a bipartisan, bicameral and permanent legislative fix for Dreamers. The CHC, therefore, has valuable expertise, experience and insight on this issue as Congress continues to negotiate a Dream/DACA compromise.
Our Members have been working around the clock with advocates and our House and Senate colleagues, both Democrats and Republicans, to craft a bipartisan Dreamer solution. Through this bipartisan work, we have identified priorities that can help ensure the Senate passes a bipartisan and fair DACA compromise with overwhelming support by both parties and one that CHC Members can support.
While several DACA bills have targeted different DACA and Dreamer populations, it is critical that the Senate work to permanently protect the full Dreamer population. Congress should use this opportunity to protect these young immigrants and should not leave a portion of this populace behind because of arbitrary age caps and entry dates. It is clear that Members on both sides of the aisle want to address this issue once and for all and do not want to have to debate legal status for young immigrants again in a few years.
It is also critical that the Senate focus on a narrow solution. CHC has been working on a fix for Dreamers for more than six months and it has become exceedingly clear that there is broad consensus in both chambers and across the aisle that a Dream compromise should include a fix for Dreamers and border security alone. Proposals that go beyond these two areas will face significant resistance and could endanger a bipartisan and permanent solution.
We urge the Senate to work swiftly on a fair and bipartisan bill to permanently protect Dreamers. Please contact CHC Executive Director Alma Acosta if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Michelle Lujan Grisham
CHC Chairwoman
Joaquin Castro
CHC First Vice Chair
Ruben Gallego
CHC Second Vice Chair
Pete Aguilar
CHC Whip
Adriano Espaillat
CHC Freshman Representative
# # #
Next Article Previous Article