Dream Act Now
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, following the temporary nationwide injunction blocking the Trump Administration’s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman, Vice Ranking Member on the House Homeland Security Committee, met with New Jersey DACA recipients and released the following statement:
“Dreamers are an essential thread in the fabric of our nation. These young people make invaluable contributions to communities in New Jersey and across the nation as doctors, teachers, small business owners and serve heroically in our military. Dreamers are Americans.
“As I reiterated to the young men and women I spoke with today, this recent court decision is not a real solution; the only real relief they will get will be from legislation passed by Congress and signed by the President. In both chambers of Congress, there is clear support for the DREAM Act – it must be brought up for a vote and with the progress that DACA initiated, we must work toward comprehensive immigration reform that ensures the American dream continues to be attainable for all.
“We have called on Dreamers to come out of the shadows and become engaged participants in our communities and country – the law of the land must reflect that directive.”
Watson Coleman was joined by Rep. Bennie Thompson, Ranking Member on the House Homeland Security Committee who, yesterday, joined a bipartisan group of legislators at the White House to negotiate a deal on “Dreamers” and to try and avert a government shutdown ahead of the January 19th deadline.
According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, New Jersey had 22,024 DACA recipients through March 31, 2017. If repealed, the Garden State would lose approximately $1.6 billion every year in its Gross Domestic Product, making it the fifth-largest dollar loss of all states in the country, according to New Jersey Policy Perspective.
Photos from the meeting can be found here.
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