14 DEC 2022
66 Latino Leaders Make Mandate Clear to Republicans and Democrats: “It’s Now or Never for Dreamers”
The Hill: Latino leaders press Senate for DACA protections in lame-duck session
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, as first reported by The Hill, 66 Latino leaders representing dozens of national and local organizations, including the Latino Victory Project, Voto Latino, Mi Familia Vota, Hispanic Federation, NALEO Education Fund, Somos Votanes, NextGen America, and many more, joined the Immigration Hub, UnidosUS and United We Dream in sending a letter to Majority Leader Schumer and Minority Leader McConnell urging both parties to come together and deliver a bipartisan solution that ensures permanent protections for Dreamers before the end of the year.
As the courts gear up to end DACA as soon as next year, Congress cannot afford to miss the closing window of opportunity to pass legislation that would create a path to citizenship for Dreamers. With seventy-eight percent of Latino voters in battleground states supporting Congress taking action to protect Dreamers if a federal court overturns DACA, Latino leaders from across the country are calling on Senate leadership to act. This year, Latino voters proved critical in battleground races across the country, delivering a mandate to elected leaders: It's now or never for Dreamers.
The letter reads, in part:
“Senate Republicans and Democrats now have an opportunity to address this issue once and for all during the so-called Lame Duck session of the 117th Congress. We urge you to work together on a way forward and prioritize this issue in any end-of-year package. It may well be now or never for Dreamers.
“One thing is crystal clear: Hispanic voters support permanent protections for Dreamers and other undocumented communities. Seventy eight percent of Latino voters in battleground states say that Congress should act to protect Dreamers if a federal court overturns the DACA program. Immigration is personal for many in our communities; while 8 in 10 Latinos are U.S. Citizens: fully half of Hispanics, including battleground voters, say they personally know someone who is undocumented. When it comes to DACA, the average DACA recipient has lived in the U.S. for well over 20 years establishing deep ties to America including as parents to an estimated 300,000 U.S.-born children whose futures would be at risk if DACA is not permanently protected.
“We cannot afford for Congress to miss an important opportunity like the one before it now. The time for action is this year and as part of must-pass legislation. Latino communities across the US are watching who steps up to fight for Dreamers and who stands by as the lives of Dreamers, their families and communities are upended.”
Read the full letter here.
Signatories include:
Sergio Gonzales, Executive Director of the Immigration Hub
Sonia Perez, Interim President & CEO, UnidosUS
Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez, President and Executive Director, NextGen America
Frankie Miranda, President and CEO, President, Hispanic Federation
Matt A. Barreto, President, BSP Research
Melissa Morales, President, Somos Votantes
Hector Sanchez Barba, President, Mi Familia Vota
Yoselin Genao Estrella, Executive Director, Neighborhood Housing Services of Queens CDC Inc.
Maria F. Pinzon, Executive Director, Hispanic Services Council, Inc.
Marisol Quevedo Rerucha, CEO, Heartset Consulting Group
Marcos Vilar, President & CEO, Alianza for Progress
Fernando S. Godinez, President and CEO , Mexican American Unity Council, Inc.
Luz Gallegos, Executive Director, TODEC Legal Center
Ramon Peguero, Esq., President & CEO, The Committee for Hispanic Children and Families
Victor Leandry, Executive Director, El Centro de Servicios Sociales
Maria Matzos, President & CEO, Latin American Community Center
Isabel Garcia, Executive Director, RCMA
Liz Rebecca Alarcón, Founder & Executive Director, Pulso
Pilar Rocha-Goldberg, President & CEO, El Centro Hispano, Inc.
Omar Carrera, CEO, Canal Alliance
Katherine Archuleta, Founder and Co-Director, The Latina Initiative of Colorado
Claudia Yoli Ferla, Executive Director, MOVE Texas Action Fund
Luis Felipe Pinzon, President & CEO, Hispanic Unity of Florida
Mario M. Carrera, President/CEO, Colorado Latino Leadership, Advocacy & Research Organization, CLLARO
Cendi Tena, Interim Co-Executive Director, Leaders Igniting Transformation
Ramiro A. Cavazos, President and CEO, United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
C. LeRoy Cavazos-Reyna, Vice Chairman, Texas Border Coalition
Nathalie Reyes, President and CEO, Latino Victory Project
Ignacio Salazar, CEO, SER Jobs for Progress National Inc.
Lawrence Guzman Romo, American GI Forum of the United States Legislative Chairman, American GI Forum of the US
Yanira Merino, Executive Director, LCLAA
Gary Acosta, Co-Founder and CEO, NAHREP
Ricardo Perez, Executive Director, Hispanic Affairs Project
Nicholas Kukucka, Executive Director, The Ganas Network
Luis Antezana Alba, Founder and CEO, Juntos (Techstars '21)
Maria Gonzalez, Deputy Director, El Pueblo
Iliana Santillan, Executive Director, El Pueblo
Al Gallegos, National President, National Association of Hispanic Federal Executives
Dr. Juan Andrade Jr., President and Executive Director, United States Hispanic Leadership Institute
Uriel Berrum, Co-Founder and CEO, ScholarLead.com and Effct.org
Maria Teresa Kumar, President,Voto Latino
Greisa Martinez, Executive Director, United We Dream
Mauricio Calvo, CEO, Latino Memphis
Lorella Praeli, Co-President, Community Change Action
Arturo Vargas, CEO, NALEO Educational Fund
Amy Hinojosa, President and CEO, MANA, A National Latina Organization
Manuel X. Zamarripa, Co-Director, National Latinx Psychological Association
Rosy Aburto-McDonough, Executive Director, Hispanic Contractors of Colorado (HCC) and HCC Contractor Academy
Vanessa Cardenas, Executive Director, America’s Voice
Rachel Garcia, CEO, Colectiva
Jerry Gonzalez, CEO, GALEO Impact Fund
Sylvia Puente, President & CEO, Latino Policy Forum
Meshach Rhoades, Co-Founder, Latinas First Foundation
Juanita Chacon, Co-Founder, Latinas First Foundation
Maegan Llerena, Executive Director, Make the Road Pennsylvania
Leo Murrieta, Director, Make the Road Nevada
Monica Ruiz, Executive Director, Casa San Jose
Danilo Burgos, State Representative, Pennsylvania State Representative
Felipe Sousa Lazaballet, Executive Director, Hope CommUnity Center
Barbara Lopez, Director, Make the Road Connecticut
Karina Ruiz De Diaz, Executive Director, Arizona Dream Act Coalition
Monica Sarmiento, Executive Director, Virginia Coalition for Immigrant Rights
Lupe M. Rodriguez, Executive Director, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice
Alejandra Gomez, Co-Executive Director, Living United for Change in Arizona (LUCHA)
Juanita Valdez-Cox, Executive Director, La Unión del Pueblo Entero (LUPE)
Dr. Antonio Flores, President, Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities
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The Immigration Hub is a national organization dedicated to advancing fair and just immigration policies through strategic leadership, innovative communications strategies, legislative advocacy and collaborative partnerships.