Media Contact: John Henry, jhenry@childrensdefense.org, CDF Media Relations Manager, 708-646-7679
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Children’s Defense Fund and Children’s Defense Fund-Texas have endorsed the American Dream and Promise Act, legislation that would grant permanent protections to Dreamers (immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as children), as well as individuals with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED).
Sponsored by United States Representative Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas), the bill comes as DACA faces ongoing legal challenges in federal court and the rollback of TPS protections threatens hundreds of thousands of immigrants.
Rep. Garcia held a press conference on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, to announce the introduction of her legislation. It can be viewed here.
DACA currently provides relief to roughly 538,000 Dreamers, but it offers no pathway to citizenship. More than 1.3 million people in the United States live with a DACA recipient, including 300,000 U.S. citizen children with at least one DACA recipient parent. Additionally, an estimated 100,000 undocumented students will graduate from U.S. high schools this year without eligibility for DACA. Garcia’s legislation proposes:
- Granting eligible Dreamers conditional permanent residence for 10 years and canceling removal proceedings
- Providing a pathway to citizenship for eligible Dreamers by granting full Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) status
- Providing individuals with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) or Deferred Enforcement Departure (DED) LPR status
- Providing eligible Dreamers with access to federal financial aid for higher education
- Protecting Dreamers and individuals with TPS or DED during their application for relief
- Allowing eligible Dreamers located abroad to apply for relief
- Preventing the penalization of states that grant in-state tuition to undocumented students based on residency
CDF-Texas Senior Administrator of Policy and Advocacy Trudy Taylor Smith, Esq. said all young people deserve to grow up feeling a sense of safety and belonging in their families and communities:
“DACA, Temporary Protected Status, and Deferred Enforced Departure are temporary fixes. They provide short-term protection from removal but keep individuals in the precarious position of not knowing when a change in policy may strip them of protection and rip them away from their families, careers, and lives they have built for themselves in the United States. Congress can and should pass legislation to provide a pathway to permanent status for immigrants who arrived in the United States as children, and for those who have been granted TPS or DED based on humanitarian concerns. The American Dream and Promise Act would secure the futures of millions of undocumented immigrant young people by allowing them to pursue further education, work, and raise families without fear of future deportation. This legislation would also protect hundreds of thousands of children in mixed-status homes from family separation and free them from the burden of chronic fear because of their parents’ precarious status.”