NILC Responds to Introduction of SECURE Act

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 5, 2017

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Juan Gastelum, 213-375-3149
Hayley Burgess, 202-384-1279

NILC Responds to Introduction of SECURE Act

WASHINGTON — A group of Republican immigration hardliners in the Senate today introduced a bill to address the crisis created by the Trump administration’s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA. The bill would provide inadequate and temporary relief for some immigrant young people, commonly referred to as “Dreamers,” in exchange for sweeping border enforcement measures. Senators Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and David Perdue (R-Ga.) are cosponsors.

The introduction of the Senate bill, titled SECURE Act, comes on the same day that 34 Republicans in the House of Representatives urged House Speaker Paul Ryan to act now to pass a permanent legislative fix.

Kamal Essaheb, policy and advocacy director at the National Immigration Law Center, issued the following statement:

“Over months, immigrant youth, their communities, advocates, and supporters from all sectors of life and from all around the country have engaged in serious conversation with lawmakers who recognize the need for an urgent and permanent fix for Dreamers. The so-called SECURE Act is lightyears behind and completely out of touch with the progress made in these good-faith efforts. Simply put, this is not a serious attempt at solving the DACA crisis. The bill dedicates a grand total of 14 pages, out of 526, to issues regarding DACA. The rest reads like a nativist wish list.

“To date, more than 11,000 immigrant young people have lost permission to work and contribute fully to their communities since President Trump ended DACA in September. Until Congress acts, an estimated 122 more will lose DACA protections each day. With thousands of people’s lives hanging in the balance, we don’t have time to waste on proposals that only move the conversation backward.”

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