Ahead of House Vote, NILC Urges Lawmakers to Support the Dream and Promise Act

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 3, 2019

CONTACT
Hayley Burgess, 202-805-0375, [email protected]

Ahead of House Vote, NILC Urges Lawmakers to Support the Dream and Promise Act

WASHINGTON — Ahead of the House of Representatives vote on the Dream and Promise Act, the National Immigration Law Center urges lawmakers to support the bill in its current form and to reject any last-minute poison pill amendments designed solely to weaken the bill.

The legislation has some of the most inclusive provisions in years, including a roadmap to U.S. citizenship for more than two million immigrant youth and people with temporary protected status (TPS) or deferred enforced departure (DED).

Reiterating NILC’s longtime work on this legislation, Legislative Director Avideh Moussavian called on lawmakers to pass the legislation with no changes.

“This is a critical piece of legislation and passing it will send a message of inclusion to the millions who contribute to this country every day. As Trump’s attacks on immigrants occur with inhumane regularity, this bill provides a reminder that our community is strong, powerful, and resilient.

“While there are many aspects of the bill to celebrate, it isn’t perfect. At a time when both sides of the political aisle are engaging in courageous conversations about reforming our dysfunctional criminal justice system, it is particularly disheartening to see provisions that further criminalize immigrant communities in ways that fly in the face of our values of due process and fairness. We are committed to the long-term work of building stronger alliances with our criminal and juvenile justice partners to fight these harmful narratives and policies.

“As lawmakers prepare to vote on this historic bill, they must consider how such legislation, if enacted, would benefit their own districts. Immigrants are part of the fabric of every community across America, and legislation such as the Dream and Promise Act brings us closer to recognizing this reality. The Trump administration threw millions of long-term immigrant residents into limbo when he cruelly and unlawfully ended Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), TPS, and DED. This bill provides practical and long-overdue solutions. Lawmakers should support this bill without further changes and ensure greater opportunity and a stronger future for our communities and for our country.”

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