ACLU Slams New House Bill: Implores Congress to Pass Citizenship Legislation For DACA

This week the House of Representatives introduced the American Dream and Promise Act. While it may seem like a step in the right direction, it proves to yet again be a half step only. The bill does not give DACA recipients a pathway to citizenship, merely kicking the can down the road, maintaining that full admission to this country and the civil rights that come with it as a proverbial unattainable carrot for the immigrant community.

As we stated when President Joe Biden made the gesture of placing a bust of Cesar Chavez in the oval office – we want more.

Fortunately, the American Civil Liberties Union (along with some of congress’ most progressive members) agree with this, although they seem a little more tip-toey about it than they have in the last few years. The following is a statement from Naureen Shah, senior advocacy and policy counsel for the ACLU, regarding last night’s introduction of the American Dream and Promise Act in the House of Representatives:

“The introduction of the American Dream and Promise Act marks a step forward in the fight for citizenship. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program changed hundreds of thousands of lives, allowing Americans in waiting to live in our shared nation without the daily threat of deportation. Unfortunately, the Trump presidency put DACA recipients at incredible risk, imperiling the lives of DACA recipients, immigrants, and their U.S. citizen family members and communities. Similarly, the Trump administration repeatedly attacked those with Temporary Protected Status, putting their lives in limbo and at risk of deportation. We urgently need citizenship for Dreamers, TPS holders, and the undocumented community writ large.”

“Unfortunately, politicians continue to import the injustices of the criminal system into their bills, creating barriers to relief and using undocumented immigrants, particularly Dreamers, as political pawns. This legislation continues that trend with unwarranted eligibility exclusions for many people. We can achieve justice for immigrants without exacerbating the harms of the racist criminal legal system on Black and Brown immigrants. We call on Congress to pass citizenship legislation without harmful trade offs or exclusions. The time is now.”