LWV sent a letter to Dream Act sponsor Senator Durbin offering our support and endorsement of the Dream Act, re-introduced last week. Having long supported DREAMers and paths to citizenship, the League is excited to push immigration reform in the new Congress.
Senator Richard Durbin
711 Hart Senate Office
Washington, D.C. 20510
RE: Dream and Promise Act
Dear Senator Richard Durbin,
On behalf of our thousands of members in more than 750Leagues across the nation, the League of Women Voters endorses the Dream and Promise Act. This legislation you introduced with Senator Graham and the House version led by Representatives Lofgren and Roybal-Allard have support from a cross-section of grassroots and national immigration organizations.
Over the past four years, the Trump administration took steps to end the temporary fix under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and strip status from those with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED). Individuals benefiting from these programs live in every state and every congressional district making this a national issue warranting immediate attention and resolution. The people impacted are our neighbors, Leaguers, teachers, healthcare workers, and employers. In the American spirit of equality and opportunity, they deserve a path to citizenship.
For decades, the League of Women Voters has supported a fair and equitable immigration system and path to citizenship. Since the 111th Congress, the League has lobbied in support of the DREAM Act, including opposing its recission in the 115th Congress. For the League of Women Voters, this Dream and Promise Act would hold American families, communities, and economies together.
There are many parts of the immigration system that urgently need fixing but protecting Dreamers and beneficiaries of TPS and DED cannot wait. It is long past time to recognize that these individuals are part of the American family and merit protection from deportation, permanent status, and a path to eventual citizenship. They and their families and communities at long last deserve the peace of mind to plan ahead and build a better life which so many of us born in this country take for granted. The League of Women Voters strongly endorses this common-sense legislation and stands ready to work with you to pass it quickly.
Virginia Kase, CEO of LWVUS
The Latest from the League
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The League of Women Voters strongly endorses this common-sense bipartisan legislation, and we stand ready to work with lawmakers to see it become law.
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