For a recording of today’s call, please email nicole@npstrategygroup.com
Miramar, FL– This morning, Miramar Mayor Wayne Messam joined Florida Dreamers and leaders to discuss why a legislative solution for Dreamers is so urgent for Florida and America and to call on Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Representative John Rutherford (FL-04) to support the passage of a clean Dream Act before the end of the year. A recording of today’s call is available here.
Mayor Wayne Messam (Miramar, FL), said:
We have a diverse community here in the city of Miramar. We are living among great individuals who contribute, socially and economically, to our society every day. We must not allow these individuals, who have come forwarded, abided by the law, and made America their home, to have their status revoked and become at risk of deportation. I stand in solidarity with these people – our neighbors and friends – to ensure they have every opportunity to fulfill their dream of becoming American citizens. Congress must act now and propose and pass a clean Dream Act before the end of the year.
Reverend Dr. Russell Meyer, Florida Council of Churches, said:
This is the season of peace, love, and joy across all religions, nationwide. The entire religious community embraces the person who needs welcome. Our young DACA-recipients represent the brightest future for Florida and will make some of Florida’s best citizens. It is wrong and immoral to send them to a country they have never known. Congress has the power to pass the Dream Act before the end of the year and protect Dreamers.
Reverend Susan Rogers, Pastor of The Well at Springfield in Jacksonville, said:
Please pass the Dream Act before the end of the year and let these children and young adults know that they can continue to work and to pursue an education, that they are safe and that their dreams matter. Senator Rubio and Representative Rutherford, as our elected officials, you have the power to act on their behalf and we plead with you to do so.
Claudia, DACA-recipient and University of Central Florida student, said:
I’m a DACA beneficiary, and I cannot express how DACA has changed my life, and now that my future has an expiration date, it is imperative that we pass the Dream Act. I urge Republicans to act now, my future and many others are at stake.
Juan Escalante, DACA-recipient and Communications Manager, America’s Voice, said:
The time to pass the Dream Act is now. Congress and particularly some Republican elected officials continue to flaunt this idea that there is time next year to pass legislation. This is simply incorrect. We need the Dream Act to pass before the end of the year, if we want Dreamers to continue to prosper.
In Florida, there are nearly 33,000 DACA recipients whose futures and opportunities to fully contribute to their communities are threatened by President Trump’s decision to end the popular and successful DACA program. The Center for American Progress estimates that Florida has 117,000 Dream Act-eligible individuals in the workforce and would see annual state GDP gains of $1.2 billion from passage of the Dream Act.
In Rep. Rutherford’s district alone, there are 1,300 DACA-eligible residents and nearly 1,700 Dream Act-eligible residents, and the annual GDP loss from removing DACA workers would amount to approximately $18 million in the district.
