Act Now: Congress Must Save DACA By Supporting The Dream Act of 2017 (H.R. 3440/S.1615) & American Hope Act of 2017 (H.R. 3591)
CAIR Action Alert: Urge Congress to Support Dream Act of 2017
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 2/27/2018) -- The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, is calling on all Americans to urge their members of congress to support the Dream Act of 2017 and other legislation that will reinstate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
In securing the passage of legislation that would protect Dreamers, CAIR cautions members of Congress from making any concessions that include the further militarization of the U.S. border or a border wall, to the small but vocal contingent of anti-immigrant lawmakers or President Trump.
“We must not permit Dreamers to be vilified and scapegoated for the problems facing this country, or used as a cover for the absence of a strategic and well-thought-out plan to produce job growth and improve the nation’s economic condition,” said CAIR Government Affairs Department Coordinator Amineh Safi.
TAKE ACTION NOW!
DACA is the Obama-era federal administrative relief from deportation policy that protects the rights of some 800,000 undocumented young people, commonly referred to as “Dreamers,” brought to the United States as children. On Tuesday, September 5, 2017, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the rescission of DACA within six months’ time.
Since President Obama established the DACA program in 2012, it has opened a path for over three quarter of a million-young people in the United States to cultivate their business ideas, serve in the military, advance their education, and contribute to our country in innumerable ways. As a result of President Trump’s decision to end DACA, it is now Congress’ responsibility to develop policy in the next six months to ensure protection for the young immigrants from deportation.
CAIR and other civil and human rights groups have expressed concern that the information gathered in the processes of registering for DACA, including fingerprints and other checks that identify biological features, will be used against Dreamers by federal agencies. US Citizenship and Immigration Services has stated that they will provide ICE with information if it involves “a significant law enforcement or national security interest.” Thus, it is critical that a united effort takes place to instill protective measures to prevent this from happening.
As a response to the rising anxiety amongst DACA recipients, representatives in Congress from both sides have introduced legislation that would protect Dreamers. Below are the top three bills you should urge your congress members to support:
- S. 1615: Dream Act of 2017 Introduced by Senators Graham (R-SC) and Dick Durbin (D-IL), this bill would provide a pathway for those who came to the United States as Children to become permanent residents, and eventually apply for citizenship. Conditions for this are that the individual arrived to the United States prior to the age of 18, have been here for more than four years, and have not engaged in any criminal, federal or state offenses, or the persecution of any person(s).
- H.R. 3440: Dream Act of 2017 Introduced by Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) and Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA), this is a House version of the Dream Act of 2017 bill introduced in the Senate with similar requirements and stipulations.
- H.R. 3591: American Hope Act of 2017 Introduced by Representative Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) and has over 110 cosponsors, the American Hope Act of 2017 also provides young people who were brought to the United States as children an opportunity to apply to become permanent residents. This bill amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to allow states to offer higher-education benefits regardless of legal status.
CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.
La misión de CAIR es mejorar la comprensión del Islam, fomentar el diálogo, proteger las libertades civiles, capacitar a los musulmanes estadounidenses, y construir coaliciones que promuevan la justicia y la comprensión mutua.
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CONTACT: CAIR Director of Government Affairs Department Robert McCaw, 202-999-8292, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com
Act Now: Congress Must Save DACA By Supporting The Dream Act of 2017 (H.R. 3440/S.1615) & American Hope Act of 2017 (H.R. 3591)
CAIR Action Alert: Urge Congress to Support Dream Act of 2017
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 2/27/2018) -- The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, is calling on all Americans to urge their members of congress to support the Dream Act of 2017 and other legislation that will reinstate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
In securing the passage of legislation that would protect Dreamers, CAIR cautions members of Congress from making any concessions that include the further militarization of the U.S. border or a border wall, to the small but vocal contingent of anti-immigrant lawmakers or President Trump.
“We must not permit Dreamers to be vilified and scapegoated for the problems facing this country, or used as a cover for the absence of a strategic and well-thought-out plan to produce job growth and improve the nation’s economic condition,” said CAIR Government Affairs Department Coordinator Amineh Safi.
TAKE ACTION NOW!
DACA is the Obama-era federal administrative relief from deportation policy that protects the rights of some 800,000 undocumented young people, commonly referred to as “Dreamers,” brought to the United States as children. On Tuesday, September 5, 2017, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the rescission of DACA within six months’ time.
Since President Obama established the DACA program in 2012, it has opened a path for over three quarter of a million-young people in the United States to cultivate their business ideas, serve in the military, advance their education, and contribute to our country in innumerable ways. As a result of President Trump’s decision to end DACA, it is now Congress’ responsibility to develop policy in the next six months to ensure protection for the young immigrants from deportation.
CAIR and other civil and human rights groups have expressed concern that the information gathered in the processes of registering for DACA, including fingerprints and other checks that identify biological features, will be used against Dreamers by federal agencies. US Citizenship and Immigration Services has stated that they will provide ICE with information if it involves “a significant law enforcement or national security interest.” Thus, it is critical that a united effort takes place to instill protective measures to prevent this from happening.
As a response to the rising anxiety amongst DACA recipients, representatives in Congress from both sides have introduced legislation that would protect Dreamers. Below are the top three bills you should urge your congress members to support:
- S. 1615: Dream Act of 2017 Introduced by Senators Graham (R-SC) and Dick Durbin (D-IL), this bill would provide a pathway for those who came to the United States as Children to become permanent residents, and eventually apply for citizenship. Conditions for this are that the individual arrived to the United States prior to the age of 18, have been here for more than four years, and have not engaged in any criminal, federal or state offenses, or the persecution of any person(s).
- H.R. 3440: Dream Act of 2017 Introduced by Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) and Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA), this is a House version of the Dream Act of 2017 bill introduced in the Senate with similar requirements and stipulations.
- H.R. 3591: American Hope Act of 2017 Introduced by Representative Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) and has over 110 cosponsors, the American Hope Act of 2017 also provides young people who were brought to the United States as children an opportunity to apply to become permanent residents. This bill amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to allow states to offer higher-education benefits regardless of legal status.
CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.
La misión de CAIR es mejorar la comprensión del Islam, fomentar el diálogo, proteger las libertades civiles, capacitar a los musulmanes estadounidenses, y construir coaliciones que promuevan la justicia y la comprensión mutua.
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CONTACT: CAIR Director of Government Affairs Department Robert McCaw, 202-999-8292, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com