FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 16, 2021
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Fernanda Durand
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Alia El-Assar
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Hispanic Federation Condemns Judge Hanen’s Ruling on DACA, Calls on Congress to Provide Pathway to Citizenship for Dreamers and Other Undocumented Immigrants
WASHINGTON – Hispanic Federation condemns the ruling released today by the U.S. District Court Judge Andrew Hanen blocking the approval of any new applications for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which has helped more than 640,000 undocumented people who came to the U.S. as children live, work, and study in the country lawfully. In light of the decision, Hispanic Federation is renewing calls for Congress to create a path to citizenship for DACA beneficiaries and other undocumented people living in the U.S. With Senate Republicans refusing to provide immediate and permanent protections to Dreamers, Democrats must use their authority to create a pathway to citizenship using reconciliation and end this political rollercoaster.
“We are extremely disappointed at this cruel decision. Judge Hanen has jeopardized the lives of hundreds of thousands of DACA beneficiaries who want nothing more than to live in and contribute to the only country they know. We have long demanded Congressional action on immigration reform and today's decision only lends greater urgency to our call. The only way to avoid continually upending the lives of DACA recipients and other undocumented immigrants is to bring just and permanent immigration reform legislation to the President's desk. We can't wait any longer,” said Frankie Miranda, president and CEO of Hispanic Federation.
Today’s decision comes from a 2018 lawsuit brought against the federal government by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and eight other states, which argued that the states were being forced to bear extra costs of providing health care, education, and law enforcement protection to DACA recipients.
