Rep. Chu Calls on Senate to Pass Dream and Promise Act

Judy Chu (D-Pasadena) once again called on the Senate to pass the HR 6, the Dream and Promise Act.

The bill — passed by the House of Representatives one year ago — would provide a pathway to citizenship for over 2.5 million US residents, including Dreamers, those eligible for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) recipients.

“Right now, Dreamers are on the front line of our Coronavirus response with thousands in essential and front line jobs, like healthcare,” Chu said.
“They are risking their lives for ours. But because they were born somewhere else, this President and his Republican party are choosing to dangle the threat of deportation over their heads in perpetuity. This is cruel, but that is by design. Donald Trump has staked his presidency on his war on immigrants. From bigoted speech to abusing children in prison camps to his continued toying with the fate of Dreamers and TPS recipients, his presidency has been marked by cruelty towards immigrants and all people of color.”

In August, hundreds of immigrants marched to the U.S. Court of Appeals in Pasadena, the day the court was expected to hear a challenge from the Trump administration on terminating the status of 300,000 immigrants.

The challenge by President Donald Trump’s Office would have terminated Temporary Protected Status for thousands of immigrants from El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Sudan.

In 2018, a federal court issued an injunction that halted the Department of Homeland Security from revoking the temporary status in the case Ramos v. Nielson. The lawsuit argued that racism was behind the move to get rid of TPS.

“Let’s be clear, Dreamers are Americans in every way. They have grown up here, gone to school here, work here, and have roots here,” Chu said. “They deserve the security of knowing they will not be torn from their families and lives and deported to a country they may have never known. The Dream and Promise Act is good for our communities, good for our economy, and has broad support. It’s time the Senate do the right thing and allow a vote on this bill.”