Senate Deal Leaves Dreamers Out in the Cold

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 7, 2018

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

Senate Deal Leaves Dreamers Out in the Cold

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate leadership today announced a deal to fund the federal government until late next month, increase military and domestic spending for two years, fund community health centers for two years, extend the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for an additional four years, and provide some disaster relief. The deal does not provide a solution for immigrant youth.

President Trump created a crisis in September when he terminated the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, upending the lives of hundreds of thousands of immigrant youth, their families, and communities. Nearly 19,000 immigrant youth have since lost DACA protections. Elected officials have repeatedly vowed to create a legislative solution to allow Dreamers to continue to contribute to their communities, but have thus far failed to do so.

The Senate will vote on the proposal shortly, and it will next go to the U.S. House of Representatives.

Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center, issued the following statement:

“It is outrageous and inexcusable that Senate leadership has callously agreed to put immigrant youth aside. Lawmakers who say they support Dreamers but then vote for this deal are showing their true colors and should feel nothing but shame. Words and photo ops mean nothing if they’re not paired with action.

“Hundreds of thousands of immigrant youth, their families, and communities are living in a state of uncertainty and instability. We urgently need Congress to pass a permanent solution without ceding to the White House’s extremist demands. Legislators’ failure to pass the bipartisan Dream Act — which an overwhelming majority of Americans support — will be complicit in the harm to immigrant youth.”

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