UnidosUS Lauds Call by Diverse Group of House Republicans Urging Legislation to Help DACA Youth by the End of the Year

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WASHINGTON, DC—Today, in yet another showing of clear bipartisan support on the issue, Republican members of the House held a press conference calling for a permanent legislative solution for the nearly 800,000 DACA youth living in fear of deportation. On September 5, the Trump administration announced the end of the DACA policy, thrusting the future of thousands of young people into limbo.

“We applaud the broad and regionally diverse group of Republican Members of Congress who stood up today on behalf of the thousands of DACA youth who deserve a chance to continue to go on with their lives free from fear, and who should be allowed to reach their full potential. The support for a permanent solution for DREAMers is overwhelming, and the time to act is now,” said UnidosUS President and CEO Janet Murguía.

Passage of this critical legislation would not only help thousands of DREAMers, but it also makes sense economically. Without a fix, the progressive think tank Center for American Progress estimates that the U.S. gross domestic product would take a hit of $433 billion over the next 10 years. Add to that the cost of deporting DREAMers, which the conservative Cato Institute estimates would be more than $158 billion.

“Thousands of lives hang in the balance; the time to pass a DREAMer bill is now and we believe today’s call to action from House Republicans is an important step in that direction,” concluded Murguía.

Among the members participating in today’s news conference called by Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) were: Don Bacon (R-ME); Joe Barton (R-TX); Susan Brooks (R-IN); Mike Coffman (R-CO); Ryan Costello (R-PA); Jeff Denham (R-CA); Charlie Dent (R-PA); John Faso (R-NY); Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA); Peter King (R-NY); Leonard Lance (R-NJ); Dave Reichert (R-WA); Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL); Scott Taylor (R-VA); and Fred Upton (R-MI).