CAPAC Immigration Leaders Applaud Historic Passage of House Dream and Promise Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The House of Representatives today voted 237-187 to pass H.R. 6, the Dream and Promise Act of 2019. This bill, introduced by Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-40), provides a pathway to citizenship for over 2.5 million U.S. residents, including Dreamers – those eligible for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) - and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) recipients. Dreamers can apply for legal permanent residency if they came to the United States before the age of 18 and have been in the country for at least 4 years and have met certain education or work requirements. Individuals who were eligible for TPS and DED on January 1, 2017 and who have been in the United States for at least 3 years are also eligible to apply for legal permanent status. CAPAC Chair Judy Chu (CA-27) and CAPAC Immigration Task Force Chair Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) voted to pass the bill and issued the following statements:
Congresswoman Judy Chu (CA-27), CAPAC Chair:
“This is an historic day that was 18 years in the making! Finally, Dreamers and other immigrants who have lived and worked here and are American in every way possible are one step closer to being protected from xenophobic threats to separate families and send them to a country many of them have never even known. As the Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, or CAPAC, I know that this bill is particularly important to the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community who, while only making up 6 percent of the entire U.S. population, are 16 percent of the undocumented in this country. That means there are over 130,000 Asian American Dreamers living in uncertainty with the threat of deportation always looming.
“This bill is a massive relief to all of them and the millions of others like them who have made America their home and do not deserve to live in fear of being punished for a choice many of them never made. This victory is theirs. It would have been impossible to get here without the passion and commitment of Dreamers who marched, organized, rallied, and even held hunger strikes on the National Mall to make sure we never forgot our promise to them. I am also grateful that this bill provides relief for TPS and DED recipients with deep roots in our communities, including 9,000 TPS recipients from Nepal. Now it is time for the Senate to act on this bill as well so that we can get it to the President’s desk and signed into law.”
Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), CAPAC Immigration Taskforce Chair:
“Today’s victory is the result of years of organizing in the streets and the halls of Congress, and I want to thank Dreamers, their parents, their families and friends, and everyone who has put in their blood, sweat and tears to get us to this moment. This is a first step, not a last. We must stop criminalizing immigrants at every turn even as we willingly accept their labor and contributions. We cannot let the xenophobia and racism of this President and his administration permeate our country. We must pass humane, just and comprehensive immigration reform that provides a roadmap to citizenship, strengthens family-based immigration and protects workers’ rights on the job.”
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The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) is comprised of Members of Congress of Asian and Pacific Islander descent and Members who have a strong dedication to promoting the well-being of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. Currently chaired by Congresswoman Judy Chu, CAPAC has been addressing the needs of the AAPI community in all areas of American life since it was founded in 1994.