America’s Voice applauds the 29 House Democrats–especially Rep. Raul Grijalva, who initiated the effort–who have issued a letter to President Obama calling for a suspension to deportations and an expansion of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to include “all those who would be potential citizens under immigration reform.”
According to Frank Sharry, Executive Director of America’s Voice:
It makes no sense to deport people who would qualify for legal status under pending immigration legislation. Every day House Republican leaders don’t act to move immigration reform forward is another day that families are ripped apart, workers are exploited, migrants die in the desert and 1,100 people are deported. Most of the people who are being deported today would qualify for legal status under the provisions of the Senate bill that passed in June or the bipartisan HR15 House bill that has over 190 co-sponsors. The letter signers are right to focus attention on reforms President Obama could achieve while keeping the heat on House Republicans to provide a permanent legislative fix.
Read the new House Democrats’ letter (key excerpts below):
Every deportation of a father, a sister, or a neighbor tears at our social consciousness; every unnecessary raid and detention seriously threatens the fabric of civil liberties we swore to uphold. We are talking about American families and American communities. Criminalizing American families or giving local law enforcement the responsibility to choose who stays and who goes, is not the right option…
As the debate proceeds, it is necessary to expand the protections of our future citizens that were established by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and grant it to the family and neighbors and all of those who have made their lives here but are yet to be fully recognized.
We cannot continue to witness potential citizens in our districts go through the anguish of deportation when legalization could be just around the corner for them. We look to you to firmly contribute to advancing inclusion for immigrants by suspending deportations and expanding DACA.