Today, Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) led 156 members of Congress in sending a letter to Donald Trump asking him to protect Dreamers from deportation by preserving DACA, the program which allows immigrant youth to legally live and work in the United States. The letter also asks the Administration to oppose Ken Paxton’s challenge to DACA, in which the Texas Attorney General has threatened to sue Trump unless the program is rescinded by September 5.
As today’s letter reads:
I strongly urge President Trump and his administration to take immediate action to protect the more than 787,000 DREAMers currently being threatened with deportation and eliminate the painful uncertainty they face,” Rep Grijalva said. “This ultimatum posed to President Trump by a handful of domineering state officials is nothing more than an attempt to threaten their way into changing federal immigration policy. To say that their actions are beyond their authority and morally bankrupt would be an understatement.
DREAMers are our brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, and friends and colleagues who have lived here for almost all of their lives, and are just as American as you and I. DACA has enabled them to go to school, find work, pay into Medicare and Social Security, and open businesses, all which contribute to the cultural and economic vibrancy of our country. It is incumbent upon the President and all lawmakers to ensure that our government is not in the business of tearing apart innocent families. President Trump should exert his authority and defend the better interest of our nation by protecting DREAMers.
A squadron of House Democratic leaders and immigration reform champions also turned out last week for the introduction of the American Hope Act, a bill to protect Dreamers which has 117 co-sponsors. Advocates are calling on both Congress and the Trump Administration to keep DACA in place until legislation like the American Hope Act or Dream Act can be passed.
The full text of the letter follows below: