29 NOV 2022
Nine Pennsylvania Mayors Write to Congressional Leaders Urging Congress to Enact Permanent Protection for Dreamers
Mayors in Pennsylvania, including Mayor Kenney of Philadelphia, Tuerk of Allentown, Mayor Cognetti of Scranton, Mayor Gainey of Pittsburgh, Mayor Sorace of Lancaster, Mayor Reynolds of Bethlehem, Mayor Schember of Erie, Mayor Pennington of Bellevue and Mayor Nanes of State College, 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 seven Pennsylvania mayors, urging members of Congress to enact permanent protections for Dreamers during the lame duck session. Pennsylvania Mayors Jim Kenney, Matt Tuerk, Paige Cognetti, Ed Gainy, Danene Sorace, J. William Reynolds, Joseph Schember, Val Pennington, and Erza Nanes 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.
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 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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