66 Latino Leaders Make Mandate Clear to Republicans and Democrats: “It’s Now or Never for Dreamers”

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.