FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 7, 2017

CONTACT
Email: [email protected]
Juan Gastelum, 213-375-3149
Hayley Burgess, 202-384-1279

Congress Has Two Weeks to Pass the Dream Act

WASHINGTON — Congressional leaders reported they had a good meeting today at the White House, and the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate also approved a short-term spending bill early this evening.

In response to these developments, Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center, issued the following statement:

“Leaders in both parties should recognize two things: Our country needs to address the situation facing Dreamers urgently, and the solution is both simple and politically popular across party lines. It’s now time for our country’s leadership to do its job.

“The time to fight for the Dream Act is now. The government has two more weeks to come up with a solution for immigrant youth, and we will use every remaining moment to fight for our friends, families, and coworkers.

“While some lawmakers continue disingenuously to say that we have months to resolve this crisis, thousands of young people have already lost their ability to live and work without fear of being deported. One of those people, Maria Rivas, from New York, submitted a renewal application that was rejected because someone misread her check as being filed in 2012, rather than 2017. Maria and thousands of people like her can’t wait.

“Congress has an opportunity to do something good for our nation. They should take it. We need a Dream Act now.”

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