Click here for a recording of today’s press call
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Texas leaders implored Congress to act with urgency and pass a permanent legislative solution for Dreamers on a press call today.
The Houston police chief, a Southern Baptist pastor from Austin and a business leader with the city of Dallas offered unique perspectives during the call, but a common message: Congress must act now.
And a solution has widespread support. According to a CNN poll released today, 83 percent of Americans — including 68 percent of conservatives — support allowing Dreamers to stay in the U.S.
Legislation protecting Dreamers would take an estimated seven months or more to implement, escalating the urgency well before the March 5, 2018, final sunset of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Already, thousands of people have lost protection from deportation as their deferred action has expired; those numbers will increase to thousands every week after March 5.
The following are quotes from speakers on the call:
Art Acevedo, Houston Police Chief:
“Failure to act on DACA will push many members of society into the dark and into isolation, further eroding the law enforcement community’s ability to prevent, disrupt and solve crime. The very vast majority of DACA recipients are law-abiding and successful people who came to this nation as children and, but for their birthplace, are American through and through.”
Liz Cedillo-Pereira, Director, Dallas Office of Welcoming Communities & Immigrant Affairs:
“We are hopeful that Congress will address this important issue. Passage of the Dream Act, or similar bipartisan legislation, would allow recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) to remain and continue contributing and thriving in our nation and the Dallas community.”
Tim Moore, Senior Pastor, Walk Worthy Baptist Church, Austin:
“DACA recipients’ potential in America is vast, but their paths become very narrow if Congress does not provide a year-end or first-of-year fix. Returning them to the shadows or rounding them up for deportation would force 750,000 lives to become needless casualties of America’s great failure to achieve a DACA fix or commonsense immigration reform.”
Jacinta Ma, Director of Policy and Advocacy, National Immigration Forum:
“It is pressing that Congress act to protect the thousands of young people who are losing and will lose their deferred action. We thank members of Congress in Texas who are listening to the majority of their constituents who think Dreamers should have a way to stay and contribute to their communities. The time is now.”