Issued September 26, 2017
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In response to a new Senate Republican immigration bill introduced by Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC) and James Lankford (R-OK) that attempts to undercut the bipartisan Dream Act, SEIU International Executive Vice President and iAmerica Action President Rocio Sáenz issued the following statement:
“The time to pass the bipartisan Dream Act is now. Congress must act swiftly to allow aspiring young immigrants, who came to the U.S. years ago as children, to continue to contribute to their communities without fear of deportation. The SUCCEED Act falls short because it has too many gotcha provisions and unreasonable restrictions that would exclude too many DREAMers.
“President Trump’s decision to eliminate DACA caused a cloud of fear and uncertainty to descend on the young immigrants who came forward in good faith and registered with the government for a chance at a better life. The overwhelming majority of Americans strongly agree that forcing Dreamers back into undocumented status would be cruel to Dreamers and harmful to the rest of us. This is a mess that Republicans in Congress can and must now clean up. They must do so fully, with no strings attached, and no divisive or controversial poison pill amendments. Congress must act now."