UnidosUS Lauds the Reintroduction of the Bipartisan “American Dream and Promise Act,” Seeking to Protect DACA and TPS Holders

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WASHINGTON, DC — Today, U.S. Representatives Sylvia Garcia (D-TX-29) and María Elvira Salazar (R-FL) reintroduced the “American Dream and Promise Act” in the U.S. House Committees on the Judiciary. The measure, originally introduced by U.S. Representatives Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA), Nydia Velázquez (D-NY) and Yvette Clarke (D-NY), as well as U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), provides a pathway to citizenship for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and individuals who are in the country under temporary protected status (TPS). 

Eric Rodriguez, senior vice president of Policy & Advocacy of UnidosUS, the nation’s largest Latino civil rights and advocacy organization, issued the following statement in response: 

“We applaud Congresswomen Garcia and Salazar for this bipartisan effort and reintroducing this urgently needed bill to protect DACA and TPS holders, who are an integral part of the American society. We hope this measure will finally achieve enough bipartisan support to pass the Congress. For far too long, DACA recipients and TPS holders have been forced to live in legal limbo, which currently places them under serious threat of removal and separation from their families and loved ones.  

Congress has the ability and opportunity to fix the problem and deliver on a measure that has consistently had the backing of the American people. 

“DACA and TPS holders continue to make critical contributions to our economy — paying more than $1.7 billion a year in state and local taxes. More importantly, they have sowed roots in this nation. Many of these hard-working, taxpaying individuals came as children and have known nothing but the United States for most of their lives. They have been raised as Americans, yet are forced to juggle school, work and the incessant fear of being deported to a country they do not call home. 

“UnidosUS urges action to support these communities with the passage of the American Dream and Promise Act.” 

Research also supports the contributions made possible by such measures, projecting that pathways to citizenship could add $1.5 trillion to the GDP over the next decade, generate 400,800 jobs and raise eligible individuals’ wages by $4,300. This would boost the wages of all other American workers by $600 — a clear win for our nation’s economy.   

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