FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Julian Teixeira
(202) 776-1812
jteixeira@nclr.org
Washington—NCLR hailed the Obama administration’s announcement earlier today that it would stop deporting and provide administrative relief to DREAMers, the group of undocumented young people who, brought here at a young age, know no other country but the U.S.
“The only country these kids have ever known has come through for them today. This ground-breaking action ends the fear that has dominated every single day of their lives—the threat of deportation from their home through no fault of their own,” stated Janet Murguía, NCLR President and CEO.
“This is great news not only for the people and organizations that have worked tirelessly on behalf of DREAMers, but also to all those who believe that government can and should act in a sensible, humane, and responsible manner when it comes to immigration,” noted Murguía. “It makes sense for our country’s immigration enforcement to focus on criminals and others who pose the greatest threat to our society. It makes no sense to concentrate scarce resources on going after valedictorians and people serving in our military. That is the essence of today’s decision.”
“This decision is a temporary, commonsense solution to a profound dilemma—how to make sure we don’t lose some of the best and brightest in our country while they wait for Congress to act. We would caution, though, that this is indeed a temporary fix. Only Congress can give these young people the permanent help they, and as importantly our country, deserve,” continued Murguía.
“Today, we celebrate. Tomorrow, NCLR’s job is both to ensure that our community gets accurate information about this policy and what it means, and to continue urging Congress to fulfill its long-overdue responsibility to fix our broken immigration system,” concluded Murguía.
NCLR—the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States—works to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans. For more information on NCLR, please visit www.nclr.org or follow along on Facebook and Twitter.
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