• March 29th, 2024
  • Friday, 08:04:37 AM

‘We Made a Promise to You, and We Must Keep It’


Photo: Office of US Senator Kamala Harris Senadora Kamala D. Harris realizo una mesa redonda en el Centro de Trabajo de UCLA con ocho Dreamers.

On Monday, U.S. Senator Kamala D. Harris, a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, held a roundtable at the Downtown UCLA Labor Center with eight Dreamers, who are protected from deportation under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The young people, brought to the United States as children, would also benefit from the DREAM Act – a bipartisan bill co-sponsored by Senator Harris that would ensure permanent resident status to nearly a million young people. California is home to 1 in 4 of the nation’s total DACA population.

“California is home to the most DACA recipients in the country, and America is the only country they’ve known as home,” said Senator Harris. “Thousands of DACA recipients have gone to college, served in the military, and opened small businesses – we must uphold the promise we made to these kids. I will fight to preserve the protections already given to them, and for comprehensive immigration reform because we need a long-term solution. We are a nation of immigrants and must resolve this issue on behalf of these young people.”

At the event, Senator Harris discussed her efforts to protect Dreamers and highlighted the contributions they’ve made to our economy and local communities. The Trump Administration has until September 5 to respond to a lawsuit by several state Attorneys General and decide whether they will rescind the DACA program.

Senator Harris was joined at the roundtable by advocacy groups including the Downtown UCLA Labor Center, FWD.us, the Korean Resource Center, and the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, who are all at the forefront of efforts to protect Dreamers.

“We call on President Trump to protect DACA and Dreamers – and we need every single Member of Congress and Senator to co-sponsor legislation that would allow Dreamers to work and live in the U.S. and demand a vote on the floor of the House and Senate,” said FWD.us President Todd Schulte.