Tag: Dreamers

Dreams Deferred: A Look at DACA Renewals and Losses Post-March 5

The following article by Tom Jawetz, Nicole Prchal Svajlenka and Philip E. Wolgin was posted on the Center for American Progress website March 2, 2018:

More DACA renewal applications means fewer people losing their DACA protections in the months ahead, January 2018. Credit: Getty/Bastiaan Slabbers

On September 5, 2017, the Trump administration terminated the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and permitted only a subset of current DACA recipients, whose protections were set to expire on or before March 5, 2018, to file renewal applications. Predictably, this action created a March 6 cliff, where the bulk of DACA-protected individuals would begin to lose status. At the time, President Donald Trump made clear that it was the responsibility of Congress to pass legislation by March 5 to avert that crisis from unfolding. That has not happened.

In January, a federal court entered a preliminary injunction requiring the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to receive and adjudicate DACA renewal applications from young people that have previously received protection under the program. A second court entered a similar injunction weeks later. On Monday, February 26, the U.S. Supreme Court declined the federal government’s unusual request to bypass the U.S. Court of Appeals and review the injunction in the first instance, sending the case back to the lower court for further proceedings. Continue reading “Dreams Deferred: A Look at DACA Renewals and Losses Post-March 5”

Republicans Fail to Protect DREAMers, Democrats Continue to Call for Votes on Legislation to Address the DACA Crisis and Prevent Gun Violence

MESSAGE FROM THE DEMOCRATIC WHIP

President Trump created a crisis by ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and gave the Republican-led Congress six months to pass legislation to allow DREAMers to remain here. This week, I was deeply disappointed that his deadline came and went without any legislation brought to the Floor to protect DREAMers and provide them with a pathway to citizenship. For months, Democrats have been calling on Republican leaders in the House to allow a vote – and we will continue to do so until a bipartisan bill is brought to the Floor. Failure to address this crisis will mean our communities will lose nurses, teachers, entrepreneurs, and other individuals who are able to contribute to our nation thanks to the DACA program.  DREAMers ought to remain in the U.S. and continue to strengthen our communities.

In addition, this week the first midterm elections were held. As the 2018 elections begin, I continue to be deeply alarmed by the incredibly weak stance the Administration has taken on Russian meddling in our elections. The Intelligence Community has made clear that Russia will continue their attempts to undermine our democracy and the U.S. is not doing enough to deter this threat. This week I, along with Democrats from the Election Security Task Force, sent a letter calling on Republicans to provide sufficient funding to the Election Assistance Commission, an agency charged with helping states secure our election infrastructure. I hope they’ll work with us to protect our democracy. Continue reading “Republicans Fail to Protect DREAMers, Democrats Continue to Call for Votes on Legislation to Address the DACA Crisis and Prevent Gun Violence”

Why deporting the ‘Dreamers’ is immoral

The following article by Michael Blake, Professor of Philosophy, Public Policy and Governance at the University of Washington, was posted on the Conversation website February 28, 2018:

Credit: Gili Getz / Movimiento Cosecha

On Feb. 26, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to review a federal judge’s order that the Trump administration continue the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

It was back in September 2017 that President Donald Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the end of the Obama-era program that shields hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children. Sessions argued that this program rewarded those who disobeyed the laws of the United States. The United States has an obligation to “end the lawlessness” of DACA, he argued, by winding down the program and, at the same time, making a case for the deportation of the “Dreamers” or those previously protected by DACA. Continue reading “Why deporting the ‘Dreamers’ is immoral”

Christians were once aliens, too

In Exodus Chapter 22:21, the Bible states “Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him, for you were aliens in Egypt.”

This verse reminds all United States citizens that at one time or another, we were all aliens in this country. Even Native American ancestors came from Asia. It is our moral duty to welcome the strangers to the United States no matter how they came to our country.

According to a poll released by CBS News, “nearly nine in 10 Americans (87 percent) favor allowing young immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally as children to remain in the U.S.” Continue reading “Christians were once aliens, too”

Democrats confront Kelly over DACA comments in closed-door meeting

The following article by Tal Kopan was posted on the CNN website February 6, 2018:

Washington (CNN) — White House chief of staff John Kelly was confronted by lawmakers in a closed-door meeting about comments he made Tuesday that some immigrants who didn’t apply for protections under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program were “too lazy.”

Kelly reiterated his sentiment, according to people in the room, and did so with reporters after the meeting, as well, saying “some of them just should have probably gotten off the couch and signed up.”

Continue reading “Democrats confront Kelly over DACA comments in closed-door meeting”

White House Chief of Staff: Trump not expected to extend DACA deadline

The following article by Erica Werner and Ed O’Keefe was posted on the Washington Post website February 6, 2018:

White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly says he doesn’t expect President Trump to extend DACA’s deadline if Congress fails to reach an immigration deal. (Photo: Melina Mara/The Washington Post)

White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly said Tuesday that President Trump is not expected to extend a March 5 deadline for when legal protection and work permits begin to expire for young immigrants known as “dreamers” — raising the stakes for lawmakers struggling to reach a solution.

“I doubt very much” that Trump would extend the program, Kelly told reporters during an impromptu interview at the U.S. Capitol. Continue reading “White House Chief of Staff: Trump not expected to extend DACA deadline”

A new bipartisan immigration plan surfaces in the Senate — and Trump labels it a ‘total waste of time’

The following article by Ed O’Keefe was posted on the Washington Post website February 5, 2018:

Sen. Christopher Coons (D-Del.) speaks to reporters after the Senate reached an agreement to end the shut down of the federal government on Jan. 22, 2018. Credit: Joshua Roberts/Reuters

Talks to resolve the legal status of young undocumented immigrants and enact new border security measures remain stalled in the closely divided Senate on Monday, as a new bipartisan proposal to resolve the impasse was dismissed by the White House as insufficient.

The proposal by Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Christopher A. Coons (D-Del.) would grant permanent legal status to undocumented immigrants known as “dreamers” and bolster security along the U.S.-Mexico border. It copies a plan introduced in the House that has 54 co-sponsors from both parties. But President Trump tweeted that the idea is a “total waste of time” because it doesn’t immediately authorize spending the billions to build new barriers along the border. Continue reading “A new bipartisan immigration plan surfaces in the Senate — and Trump labels it a ‘total waste of time’”

Border Wall ‘Off the Table,’ Schumer Says, as Immigration Progress Unravels

The following article by Sheryl Gay Stolberg and Maggie Haberman was posted on the New York Times website January 23, 2018:

<em“The wall offer’s off the table,” Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, told reporters at the Capitol on Tuesday.CreditEric Thayer for The New York Times

WASHINGTON — Senate negotiators found themselves back at Square 1 on immigration on Tuesday, as the Senate Democratic leader withdrew the biggest gesture he had made to strike a deal: an offer to fully fund President Trump’s proposed wall at the Mexican border.

“The wall offer’s off the table,” the leader, Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, told reporters at the Capitol a day after senators overcame an impasseto end a three-day government shutdown. Continue reading “Border Wall ‘Off the Table,’ Schumer Says, as Immigration Progress Unravels”

Debunking the Lie that Dreamers Can Wait

The following article by Tom Jawetz was posted on the Center for American Progress website January 19, 2018:

Protesters hold up signs during a rally in support of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, near Trump Tower in New York, October 5, 2017. Credit: JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images

As the Trump administration and Congress continue to drive the country toward an unnecessary and chaotic government shutdown, there appears to be substantial confusion about whether Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients are already losing their protections or if Congress has until March 5, or later, to address the issue. The answer to this question is important, as well as simple: Dreamers are losing protections now, and many more are losing their DACA status each day that Congress refuses to act. That’s why bipartisan groups in both the House and the Senate are pushing right now for legislation to provide permanent protections to Dreamers and address various other aspects of the U.S. immigration system, including border security. Continue reading “Debunking the Lie that Dreamers Can Wait”