Protect DREAMers from Deportation

On September 5, 2017, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the administration’s decision bring an end to the DACA program. DACA, or the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, has allowed nearly 800,000 undocumented immigrant youth who were brought to the United States as children to obtain work permits, attend school, and contribute openly to our economy without fear of deportation. In many cases, these youth, known as DREAMers, grew up in the United States and want to give back to society and raise their own families in the only nation they know as home. By ending DACA and its protections, the administration has made DREAMers vulnerable to deportation or detention.

Take action now to protect DREAMers from deportation.

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Background:

Congress must immediately act to protect DREAMers and ensure there is no gap between the end of the program and a permanent, legislative fix. The Dream Act of 2017 (S.1615/H.R.3440) is a bipartisan piece of legislation that would grant current DACA recipients permanent residence status on a conditional basis. It would permit conditional permanent residents to then obtain lawful permanent residence status (known as getting a “green card”), and then provide a pathway to citizenship for DREAMers who attend college, work in the U.S., or serve in the military. The bill would also improve college affordability for undocumented youth by changing rules that limit their access to in-state tuition and college loans.

We continue to join with the immigrant justice community in calling on Congress to pass a clean Dream Act immediately. Members of Congress have been engaging in negotiations around a specific legislative fix for DACA and process for passing such a bill. As allies to immigrant justice leaders and Congressional champions closest to the negotiations, we strengthen their position by advocating for the passage of a clean Dream Act now, which is the best available solution to permanently protect DREAMers.

In addition to sending an email through our form above, you can also call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask to be directly connected to your Senators’ and Representative’s offices.

Jewish Values:

Jewish tradition is clear on the treatment of immigrants. Leviticus commands, “When strangers sojourn with you in your land, you shall not do them wrong. The strangers who sojourn with you shall be to you as the natives among you, and you shall love them as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt” (19:33-34). This teaching permeates Jewish tradition and is echoed 35 times in the Torah – the most repeated of any commandment. Our own people’s history as “strangers” reminds us of the many struggles faced by immigrants today, and we affirm our commitment to create the same opportunities for today’s immigrants that were so valuable to our own community not so many years ago. The DREAMers who have grown up in the United States are not strangers; they are members of our communities nationwide. Yet this biblical teaching reminds us of the importance of a just immigration system.

For More Information:

For more on this issue, visit the RAC's issue pages on refugees and immigration. You can also contact Eisendrath Legislative Assistant Elizabeth Leff at (202) 387-2800.

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Protect DREAMers from Deportation