CHC Letter to Senate Leaders on Protecting Dreamers

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) Chairwoman Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham and the leadership of the CHC sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Schumer urging them to work swiftly on a fair and bipartisan bill that permanently protects Dreamers.

As the Members stated in the letter, "It is critical that the Senate work to find a permanent solution for Dreamers as soon as possible. Every day Congress fails to address DACA it results in more DACA recipients losing their jobs and facing possible deportation."

They touted the broad, bipartisan Congressional support for Dreamers and added, "It is also critical that the Senate focus on a narrow solution. CHC has been working on a fix for Dreamers for more than six months and it has become exceedingly clear that there is broad consensus in both chambers and across the aisle that a Dream compromise should include a fix for Dreamers and border security alone. Proposals that go beyond these two areas will face significant resistance and could endanger a bipartisan and permanent solution."

The letter was signed by: CHC Chair Michelle Lujan Grisham (NM-01); First Vice Chair Joaquin Castro (TX-20); Second Vice Chair Rep. Ruben Gallego (AZ-07); Whip Rep. Pete Aguilar (CA-31); and Freshman Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13). See copy of letter here.

February 13, 2018

The Honorable Mitch McConnell

Senate Majority Leader

Washington, D.C. 20510

The Honorable Charles Schumer

Senate Minority Leader

Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Majority Leader McConnell and Minority Leader Schumer,

We are pleased to see that Majority Leader McConnell kept his commitment to have a debate on immigration and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program this week. It is critical that the Senate work to find a permanent solution for Dreamers as soon as possible. Every day Congress fails to address DACA it results in more DACA recipients losing their jobs and facing possible deportation.

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) has worked on immigration reform for over three decades and protections for Dreamers for nearly two decades. The CHC advocates for our constituents, the Hispanic community and, since President Trump ended the DACA program, has been working to provide a bipartisan, bicameral and permanent legislative fix for Dreamers. The CHC, therefore, has valuable expertise, experience and insight on this issue as Congress continues to negotiate a Dream/DACA compromise.

Our Members have been working around the clock with advocates and our House and Senate colleagues, both Democrats and Republicans, to craft a bipartisan Dreamer solution. Through this bipartisan work, we have identified priorities that can help ensure the Senate passes a bipartisan and fair DACA compromise with overwhelming support by both parties and one that CHC Members can support.

While several DACA bills have targeted different DACA and Dreamer populations, it is critical that the Senate work to permanently protect the full Dreamer population. Congress should use this opportunity to protect these young immigrants and should not leave a portion of this populace behind because of arbitrary age caps and entry dates. It is clear that Members on both sides of the aisle want to address this issue once and for all and do not want to have to debate legal status for young immigrants again in a few years.

It is also critical that the Senate focus on a narrow solution. CHC has been working on a fix for Dreamers for more than six months and it has become exceedingly clear that there is broad consensus in both chambers and across the aisle that a Dream compromise should include a fix for Dreamers and border security alone. Proposals that go beyond these two areas will face significant resistance and could endanger a bipartisan and permanent solution.

We urge the Senate to work swiftly on a fair and bipartisan bill to permanently protect Dreamers. Please contact CHC Executive Director Alma Acosta if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

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