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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Joseph Rendeiro
(202) 776-1566
jrendeiro@nclr.org
Today, in a vote nearly along party lines, the House of Representatives passed a series of amendments to the Department of Homeland Security’s budget that would not only undo President Obama’s administrative action providing relief from deportation for millions of workers and their families, but also end the highly successful Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which provides temporary legal status to the young people known as “DREAMers.” NCLR (National Council of La Raza) vehemently opposes these amendments and vows to fight these and similar proposals.
“The House Republican leadership and Caucus may believe that they voted against the president today, but they actually voted against the millions of American families whose loved ones are working very hard to get right with the law. And they voted against millions more, including the majority of Americans who strongly support the substance of the president’s policy,” stated Janet Murguía, NCLR President and CEO.
“Adding insult to injury, House Republicans voted to undo the one program in the last two decades that has done anything to help resolve our immigration issue, gratuitously harming hundreds of thousands of young people who are now able to make stronger contributions to our economy and communities. Our country has seen the benefit of helping DREAMers, as it will see the myriad benefits of helping families through administrative relief. That is why these efforts to take away relief will not stand,” continued Murguía.
“I cannot think of a more substantively offensive and politically disastrous step for Republicans to take at this moment in time. It is no secret that the GOP is in a severe deficit when it comes to the Latino community and the Hispanic vote; it is a well-known fact among the many Republicans who support a sensible and effective immigration solution, and polling confirms it. Our community will not forget that the first order of business for House Republican leadership in the 114th Congress was a political stunt to crush the hope given to all these families without offering a single plausible alternative in return,” concluded Murguía.
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