Latino Senators Urge President Biden to Enact Lasting Protections for Immigrant Communities
4 DEC 2024
“We are eager to ensure that…immigrants who are critical members of our communities and economies are not forgotten.”
Washington, D.C. – As the incoming Trump administration signals its intent to enact policies to target and deport immigrant communities, dismantle legal pathways and separate families, U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Alex Padilla (D-CA), and Ben Ray Luján (D-MN) are urging President Biden to take decisive action to protect long-settled immigrants in the U.S. In a letter sent to the President today, the senators emphasize the urgent need to shield Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders from punitive measures that threaten to tear families apart and destabilize communities.
Polling shows that the American public strongly supports these long-settled immigrant populations, with over 73% saying those who are “regularly employed and paying taxes” should be able to stay in the U.S.
In their letter, the senators call on President Biden to:
- Grant and Extend TPS Designations for Eligible Countries: Highlighting the humanitarian crises in Ecuador, Nicaragua, and El Salvador, they urge Biden to designate, redesignate, and extend TPS protections to individuals who face violence, oppression, and environmental disasters in their home countries.
- Ensure Protections for DACA Recipients: The senators stress the need for expedited processing of renewals, advance parole requests, and legal pathways through the H-1B program to safeguard DACA recipients.
The senators write, “We are eager to ensure that DACA recipients, TPS holders, and other immigrants who are critical members of our communities and economies are not forgotten. With the uncertainty of the incoming administration’s agenda, we urge you to act decisively to protect these vulnerable populations.”
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