Commentary: WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chairs Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) and Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) made the following statement of the fifth anniversary of the Deferred Actions for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
“For five years, DACA has improved the lives of over 750,000 DREAMers who were brought to the U.S. as children and have never known any other country but the United States as their home. Each and every day, they are fulfilling their dreams of higher education and successful careers and making our country a better place.”
“Despite their protected status, DACA recipients have been repeatedly arrested and detained under the Trump Administration. DREAMers like Jessica Colotl, who came to this country at the age of 11 and is now a paralegal saving money for law school and Daniel Ramirez Medina, a young father who worked picking fruit before being separated from his son and detained, have faced this cruelty and uncertainty head-on. Under President Obama, DREAMers like Daniel and Jessica were finally able to step outside of the shadows. Daniel describes the day he ‘…could work hard, take care of our families and live without the constant fear of being sent to a country that we don’t know, forced to leave behind the people we love’ as ‘..one of the happiest days of [his] life.’"
“Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies are ripping families apart. These young adults put their faith in the government that they would be protected and that promise must be upheld. The president must reverse course and uplift the lives of these families, our economy, and our country by strengthening the DACA program. Turning our backs on these upstanding young individuals is a moral and economic detriment to our country.”
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The Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) is the largest caucus within the House Democratic Caucus, with over 70 members standing up for progressive ideals in Washington and throughout the country. Since 1991, the CPC has advocated for progressive policies that prioritize working Americans over corporate interests, fight economic and social inequality, and promote civil liberties. The CPC champions progressive policy solutions like comprehensive immigration reform, a $15 national minimum wage, fair trade, gun violence reform, debt-free college, and making the federal government a Model Employer.