Washington, D.C. — Today, senators reintroduced the bipartisan DREAM Act and the SECURE Act to ensure that Dreamers, Temporary Protection (TPS) holders, and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) recipients find permanent protection and a pathway to citizenship. Tom Jawetz, vice president of Immigration Policy at the Center for American Progress, issued the following statement:
We applaud Sens. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) for reintroducing the bipartisan DREAM Act, and Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Ben Cardin (D-MD) for reintroducing the SECURE Act. Together, the two bills will put more than two million Dreamers, TPS holders, and DED recipients on a pathway to permanent status and eventual citizenship. The bills will give them and their families the peace of mind to know that they will not be separated and that they can continue to contribute to our great nation. The average TPS recipient has been in the country for 22 years, while the average Dreamer came to the United States at age 8. Between them, their households pay nearly $69 billion in federal taxes and nearly $10 billion in state and local taxes each year. Most importantly, these two bills—in addition to H.R. 6 in the House, the American Dream and Promise Act—illustrate just how widespread congressional support is for protecting these individuals. And with Liberian DED holders set to lose their status in just days, it could not be more urgent for Congress to act and pass these bills immediately.
For more information or to speak to an expert, contact Julia Cusick at [email protected] or 202.495.3682.