29 NOV 2022
Mayors Across Texas Write to Congressional Leaders Urging Congress to Enact Permanent Protection for Dreamers
Mayors in Texas, including Mayor Adler of Austin, Mayor Mendez of Brownsville and Mayor Turner of Houston send letter to congressional leaders expressing urgency to protect Dreamers before the end of the year
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Cities for Action sent a bipartisan letter, signed by three Texas mayors, urging members of Congress to enact permanent protections for Dreamers during the lame duck session. Texas Mayors Steve Adler, Trey Mendez and Sylvester Turner signed onto the letter that includes over 70 mayors from California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia. Texas is home to the second largest population of Dreamers in the country and nearly half (48%) of Texas Dreamers are essential workers, working in critical industries such as medical fields, energy, defense and more.
Just this week, business leaders including Chris Wallace, the president and CEO of the North Texas Commission and Richard Perez the president and CEO of the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, among others made clear that Texas’ economic vitality hinges on immigrants like Texas’ Dreamers.
The recent Fifth Circuit Court ruling declaring the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program unlawful brings the courts one step closer to ending the program indefinitely. Since its inception, DACA has protected more than 830,000 young people from deportation, allowing them to work and contribute to our economy. The mayors letter underscores how ending DACA would have a devastating impact on millions of people including DACA recipients, DACA-eligible individuals, their families, friends and communities across the United States. With the forthcoming termination of DACA, Congress has an opportunity to provide a pathway to citizenship for immigrant youth this year. Large swaths of the American population support congressional action to provide permanent protections for Dreamers, including 65% of voters, business, faith and higher education leaders.
Excerpts from the letter read:
“We, leaders representing local governments around the country, are disappointed by the lack of Congressional action to pass fair and humane immigration reform and urge Congress to start by immediately enacting permanent protections for Dreamers, including DACA recipients.
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Over the last decade, more than 830,000 of our family members, neighbors, and friends have been protected under DACA. During the COVID pandemic, 343,000 or more than three-quarters of DACA recipients in the workforce were employed in jobs deemed essential by the Department of Homeland Security. It is estimated that over 2.5 million U.S. citizens live with DACA-eligible people. Ending DACA would have a devastating impact on millions of people including DACA recipients, DACA-eligible individuals, their families, friends and communities across the country.
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We call on Congress to – without further delay – enact legislation that offers permanent solutions for Dreamers. Together, we stand in solidarity with Dreamers and vow to continue supporting all immigrants living in our cities and counties. The time to act is now.”
The full letter can be read here.
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