ACE and 18 other higher education associations today sent a letter to congressional leaders (332 KB PDF) urging lawmakers to move swiftly to pass bipartisan legislation offering permanent protections to Dreamers.
The letter notes that a month from today, on
March 5, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy will
end and, “when it does, hundreds of thousands of bright and talented
young people are at risk of being deported from the only country they
have called home.”
There have been several developments in recent days indicating potential progress.
President Trump has proposed that Congress
approve a fix that would extend legal status to 1.8 million Dreamers,
including all of those who have been enrolled in DACA, and provide them
with a pathway to citizenship. The president unveiled this as part of a
“four pillars” immigration proposal that also includes funding for his
desired border wall and changes to legal immigration
such as limits on family reunification. However, the inclusion of the
border wall and proposed changes to legal immigration were rejected by
Democrats and the proposal is unlikely to receive the bipartisan support
needed to pass the Senate.
And over the weekend, Sens. John McCain (R-AZ) and Chris Coons (D-DE) said they are introducing
a more narrow plan that offers a path to citizenship for Dreamers and
orders a comprehensive study to determine what border-security measures
are needed—but stops short of supplying immediate funding for the
president’s desired border wall or changing current legal immigration
laws. Their proposal comes as Congress faces another deadline later this
week for a short-term spending bill to avoid a federal government
shutdown, and immigration has been one of the most contentious issues
when it comes to finalizing FY18 spending.
However, Politico reported
this morning that lawmakers also are weighing a temporary extension of
perhaps one year that offers continued protections for Dreamers along
with some additional funding for border security.
The letter from ACE and the other
associations calls on Congress to find a bipartisan solution and not
leave Dreamers in limbo any longer.
“These outstanding individuals are Americans
in every way but immigration status, and are making countless positive
contributions to our nation,” the letter states. “We would not tolerate
any other segment of our population, let alone a group of such
high-achieving individuals as the DACA beneficiaries, being left in
limbo this way.”