Tri-Caucus Chairs' Reaction to Tillis-Lankford SUCCEED Act

Washington D.C. – The Chairs of Congressional Tri-Caucus – which is comprised of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) released the following statement on immigration legislation announced by U.S. Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC) and James Lankford (R-OK):

"The American public is clear that Congress must pass legislation that reflects our shared American values and provides an earned-path to citizenship for Dreamers, young patriots who have done everything right. Regrettably, the Tillis-Lankford bill falls far short of meeting this critical standard. The bill calls on Dreamers to renounce basic due process protections at the front end of their application, which undermines our constitution and leaves Dreamers with no recourse or ability to defend themselves from an unjust deportation. It makes it nearly impossible for Dreamers to sponsor their children and spouses. It requires Dreamers to wait in limbo for an unprecedentedly long 15 years before they can apply for citizenship. And it unjustly disqualifies thousands of Dreamers – who have grown up here, were educated here, and who know no other home than America – based on a subjective cutoff date.

"The bi-partisan, bi-cameral Dream Act lives up to our deepest held values and the contributions of Dreamers. As leaders of the Congressional Tri-Caucus, we urge our colleagues in Congress to support the bi-partisan effort behind the Dream Act and call for its immediate passage."