UnidosUS Applauds Bipartisan Re-introduction of the DREAM Act

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WASHINGTON, DC — As a national organization long committed to an immigration system that values dignity and human rights and supports policies that broaden ways for people to enter the U.S. legally, UnidosUS welcomes the reintroduction of the DREAM Act. UnidosUS President and CEO Janet Murguía issued the following statement in response: 

“I applaud U.S. Senators Dick Durbin of Illinois and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska for re-introducing the DREAM Act in the U.S. Senate, a step toward stability for the Dreamers that call this country home. These young people are American in every way except on paper. They are students, educators, health care workers and essential community members who enrich and contribute to our nation, and who deserve a pathway to citizenship through this proposed bipartisan legislation. After years of inaction, we urge Congress to take this opportunity to advance one of the most broadly supported immigration reforms in the country.” 

Research widely underscores the undeniable contributions made by Dreamers. Nearly 91% of DACA recipients ages 25 and older are employed, strengthening key sectors throughout the country.  

Additionally, this proposed legislation would strengthen our nation’s economy. Creating pathways to citizenship could add $1.7 trillion to the GDP over the next decade, generate 438,800 jobs and raise eligible individuals’ wages by $4,300. According to the Center for American Progress, this would boost the wages of all other American workers by $700 — a clear win for our nation’s economic prosperity and future.    

As the nation’s largest Latino civil-rights and advocacy organization, UnidosUS has long championed protections and permanent solutions for Dreamers, publicly endorsing the DREAM Act in Congress and its importance for DACA recipients, and calling for a pathway to citizenship as a core part of fair, humane immigration reform.  

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