Jayapal Statement on DACA Applications Being Halted

“As we aggressively fight this misguided ruling in the courts, we must also act quickly in Congress.”

WASHINGTON — U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, made the following statement after a Federal judge in Texas issued a ruling that blocks new applications to the DACA program:

“As a proud immigrant and one of only two dozen naturalized citizens serving in Congress, I have always been crystal clear: Dreamers are Americans and Dreamers are home. Today’s cruel ruling does not change that; it only underscores the urgency behind permanently protecting Dreamers. Doing so will not only benefit the more than 800,000 people eligible for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, but all of America.

“As we aggressively fight this misguided ruling in the courts, we must also act quickly in Congress. That begins by providing a roadmap to citizenship for essential workers, farmworkers, TPS recipients, and Dreamers as part of the upcoming reconciliation package — a popular policy and a key priority of the Progressive Caucus, the Hispanic Caucus, and the Asian and Pacific American Caucus. It continues by the Senate following the lead of the House, listening to the call of immigrant rights organizers on the ground across the country, ending the filibuster, and immediately passing the Dream and Promise Act so President Biden can sign it into law. Finally, we must use our governing majority to humanely reform the entire immigration system so this type of uncertainty, cruelty, and harm ends for good while restoring America’s place as a beacon of hope around the world.

“Our immigration story is one of struggle and resilience. Immigrants push boulders up mountains and we succeed because we have to. That was true during Donald Trump’s xenophobic administration and it is true today. We will once again overcome and we will once again make clear across America that immigrant rights are human rights — today and always.”

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Issues: Immigration