22 NOV 2022

It’s Now or Never: Senate Democrats, Mayors, Higher-Ed and Business Leaders, Advocacy Groups Ramp Up Urgency to Pass Permanent Protections for Dreamers During the Lame Duck

Majority Leader Schumer: “The election is over. Voters rejected the deeply anti-immigrant message of MAGA Republicans and Senate Republicans must now come to the table and offer realistic solutions to fix DACA.”

WASHINGTON, DC – Last week, Democratic Senators from across the country publicly declared their support for immigration reform— most notably for passing a legislative fix for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients and immigrant youth during the lame duck session. A bipartisan call to protect Dreamers by elected officials, business leaders, higher ed groups, and a diverse spectrum of advocates has renewed the urgency to deliver a legislative solution before the conservative courts end the program indefinitely. 

Last week, Senators and advocates held a press conference to urge Republicans to work with Democrats on a bipartisan deal before the end of the year. The event was a part of a groundswell of advocacy, including lobbying by DACA-recipients and DACA eligible immigrant youth, and leading voices, such as former President Barack Obama, calling for congressional action. 

Senators must strike a bipartisan deal before the end of this year as current Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has vowed to block any immigration reform in the next Congress. His promise was reaffirmed when Stephen Miller was seen heading into McCarthy’s office. If Congress does not act in the lame duck session, the courts could end the program as soon as next year, and an average of 1,000 DACA recipients would lose their jobs each week. 

Mayors, Business and Higher Education Leaders Highlight Dreamers’ Contributions to Economy and Innovation, Call for Congressional Action: 

  • In a letter to Senators Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM), a bipartisan group of American mayors, urged congressional leaders to provide permanent legal status and a pathway to citizenship for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients. The mayors wrote, “It is critical that during the lame duck session Congress provide permanent legal status and a path to citizenship for all Dreamers – people who have lived in America since they were children and built their lives here. We write on behalf of all the nation’s mayors to urge you to take whatever action is necessary and possible right away to accomplish this.”

  • In Texas, business and community leaders joined by Congressman Joaquin Castro held a press conference to underscore the contributions of Texas Dreamers to the Lone State’s economy and call on Senate Republicans like Senator John Cornyn to work with Democrats and deliver a legislative fix that provides permanent relief for Dreamers this year. The press conference featured Richard Perez, president and CEO of the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce; Dawn Larios, executive director of the Texas Restaurant Association West Region; Teresa Nico, vice president for university relations at the University of Texas at San Antonio; and Giovanni Castillo, a DACA recipient and small business owner.

  • The American Council of Education and 60 other higher education associations, including the President’s Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, the American Association of Colleges for Nursing, the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities, the Association of Community College Trustees, among others, sent a letter to Senate and House leadership urging “Congress to pass legislation to provide permanent protection for Dreamers—young, undocumented, high- achieving individuals brought to our country as children—during the last weeks of the 117th Congress.”

  • A new report by TheDream.US and Golden Doors Scholars found that “their graduates have a 94 percent workforce participation rate, compared to the 84 percent rate for college graduates nationally.” According to The Hill, the report surveyed 1,400 graduates from 140 colleges and universities throughout the country who took part in two major scholarship programs financed by the organizations. The findings underscored how Dreamers are overwhelmingly employed in high-demand sectors, such as the health and medical field, and contribute strongly to local economies.

  • Apple, Microsoft, Meta, Google and dozens of other Fortune 500 companies launched an ad campaign to push Congress to pass legislation to protect Dreamers, warning Congress that ending DACA would hurt the American economy as the nation faces a workforce challenge as a result of the pandemic. The ad campaign ran in the Wall Street Journal, The Dallas Morning News and The Charlotte Observer.

Democrats Across the Country Call on Congress to Pass Permanent Protections for Dreamers During the Lame duck

  • Barack Obama, in regards to Proposition 308 and DACA, said:

    • Some good news from Arizona: voters approved a ballot initiative that will make Dreamers eligible for in-state tuition. Credit goes to the organizers who shared their families' stories and assembled a bipartisan coalition of supporters. [Twitter, 11/16/22]

    • “But the fight to protect DACA recipients remains unfinished. Earlier this year I sat down with a group of Dreamers, whose stories speak to all the ways in which they strengthen our communities. Congress should act now and resolve their status once and for all.” [Twitter, 11/16/22]

  • Senate Majority Whip Durbin; Senate Majority Leader Schumer; Senators Menendez, Padilla, Cortez Masto, and DACA Recipients held an in-person press conference to call on Republicans in Congress to work with Democrats before the end of the year to pass permanent protections for immigrant youth. For more comments from the Senators, click here.

  • Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said “We want to get DACA done. A number of our Senators led by Senators Durbin and Padilla as well as Senator Sinema are working in a bipartisan way. We are going to try to get something done in the lame duck."

  • Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said “The election is over. Voters rejected the deeply anti-immigrant message of MAGA Republicans and Senate Republicans must now come to the table and offer realistic solutions to fix DACA. I call on my Republican colleagues to join Democrats and helps us protect our Dreamers. It is cruel and inhumane to keep millions in limbo. Senate Republicans need to work with us on this widely-supported policy so we can reach an agreement that will protect families and strengthen our economy.”

  • Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ), said, “We need comprehensive immigration reform. It's incredibly important for our state but also for the country. We’ve got tens of thousands of Dreamers in Arizona who I look at as American as my own two kids.”

    • “Prop 308 was approved by Arizona voters, giving Dreamers access to in-state tuition rates regardless of their immigration status. This gives all students the opportunity for higher education in Arizona. We must keep working to give Dreamers a pathway to citizenship.” [Twitter, 11/17/22]

  • Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), said “ I’ll never give up fighting for our immigrant families. That means a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, our TPS holders, our essential workers and our farm workers. These Nevadans deserve to feel safe here in their home and I will work with anyone, ANYONE, to ensure they are treated with dignity.”

  • Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), said “Dreamers deserve a path to citizenship now. I’ll always fight for our families, and that includes the Dreamers who are an integral part of our communities. It’s time for my Republican colleagues to put action behind their words and step up.”

  • Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) said “For too long, we’ve seen bad faith arguments and partisan politics delay immigration reform,” said Senator Padilla (D-CA). “In the ten years since DACA was first established, Dreamers have become deeply embedded into the fabric of our communities. Dreamers have helped significantly grow our economy through their entrepreneurship and paying taxes, all while being forced to live in limbo. It’s time for my Republican colleagues to come to the table, because failing to act would be to deny them the American Dream. We must pass legislation to provide permanent protections once and for all.”

    • “I am joining DACA recipients and advocates to call on Republicans to act now to protect Dreamers. Tune in to hear more.” [Tweet, 11/16/22]

    • “The time to take action to protect Dreamers is NOW.” [Twitter, 11/16/22]

    • We agree @SenAlexPadilla — Congress must act during the lame duck session and give “Dreamers the stability that they need...” Tell Congress to pass protections for Dreamers this year! [Twitter, 11/14/22]

  • Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) said “Dreamers are a part of the fabric of our society. “They serve as our teachers, doctors, and other essential workers, making our lives better every day. That is why I introduced the Dream Act more than twenty years ago—to provide them with a path to citizenship. Over a decade ago, I appealed to President Obama to protect Dreamers from deportation until Congress could act. And he did, creating the DACA program, which has protected over 800,000 Dreamers. But DACA was never intended to be a permanent solution—only Congress can provide that,” said Durbin. “MAGA Republicans have made it clear that, if they take control of the House next year, they will block any efforts to protect DACA recipients. The time to act is now. A solution for Dreamers is long overdue. They have been forced to live in fear and uncertainty for far too long. I urge my Republican colleagues to join me and pass the Dream Act before the end of this year.”

  • Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) said “I encourage my Senate Republican colleagues to put the divisive anti-immigrant rhetoric in the past and join us in this latest effort to protect immigrants and unlock our nation’s economic potential and finally fix a system that we can all agree is broken. A decade after DACA was established, you have my commitment that Dreamers and their families are here to stay and we’re going to fight like hell to protect the hundreds of thousands who are eligible for its protections.”

  • Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL): “I’m with Dreamers. It is long past time we pass the Dream and Promise Act to end the uncertainty and provide DACA recipients with a pathway to citizenship.” [Twitter, 11/16/22]

  • Senator Jackie Rosen (D-NV): “#DACA has been a lifeline for Dreamers in Nevada & across our country, giving access to the American Dream in the only country they’ve ever called home.I join my colleagues in calling for immediate action to permanently protect Dreamers & provide them a path to citizenship.” [Twitter, 11/17/22]

  • Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA): “It’s time for Congress to provide a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers. And it's also long past time for DACA recipients to be able to work in Congress like their peers. I strongly support legislation to accomplish both these things, and I'll keep fighting for them.” [Twitter, 11/17/22]

  • Senator Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM): “It’s my priority to pass permanent protections for DACA recipients before the end of the year. We’re at risk of losing nearly 700,000 friends, family members, and contributors to our economy if nothing is done. Thank you to Dalia, Arlin, and Jhazibe for sharing your stories. ” [Twitter, 11/17/22]

National and Local Groups Urge Congress to Deliver Protections for Dreamers:

  • A coalition of 226 state and national groups, including the Hispanic Federation, MoveOn, the National Council of Jewish Women, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), among others, sent a letter to Democratic leaders, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, urging Democrats to prioritize protections for immigrant youth and DACA recipients in any end-of-year package. The move is popular among the American electorate as exit polls show that voters support Congress taking immediate action to protect Dreamers by a 2-to-1 margin.

  • The Interfaith Immigration Coalition member organizations, a group of over 55 national, faith-based organizations brought together across many theological traditions with a common call to seek just policies that lift up the God-given dignity of every individual issued a series of statements from religious leaders echoing the need for “Congress to act immediately to pass permanent protections with a pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients and other undocumented immigrants that have called the United States home for decades.”

  • Donna Norton, Executive Vice President of MomsRising, the online and on-the-ground organization of more than one million mothers and their families, issued a statement urgently calling on Congress to fix DACA before the year ends. The statement read: “DACA recipients are our doctors and nurses, teachers, child care and construction workers. They hold essential jobs that make our communities stronger and more successful. If Congress again fails to create a path to citizenship for DACA recipients, they will be forced to continue living with uncertainty and the well-founded fear that their families will be torn apart.”

  • Irving Zavaleta, National Programs Manager of Mi Familia Vota, a national organization working to build Latino political power through civic participation, issued a statement emphasizing the opportunity Congress has to deliver for immigrants especially after Latino voters helped deliver Democrats their senate majority. The statement read:This election cycle, we fought for tuition equity for all students in Arizona and won. This election cycle, we also delivered a majority in the Senate. Now Congress still has the opportunity to deliver desperately needed protections for immigrants…Everyone would benefit from providing protections to DACA recipients and other undocumented youth; losing this program would hurt our community and the economy… Now is the time for action in Congress; we must act before DACA ends.”

What Headlines Are Saying: Democrats Prioritize a Pathway to Citizenship for Dreamers Before End of the Year

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The Immigration Hub is a national organization dedicated to advancing fair and just immigration policies through strategic leadership, innovative communications strategies, legislative advocacy and collaborative partnerships.