The House of Representatives is poised to vote on the American Dream and Promise Act of 2019 (H.R. 6) this week, perhaps as early as Tuesday. The vote comes just as the Supreme Court rejected
the Trump administration’s request to fast track a decision on whether
to hear a case over the president's 2017 rescission of the Obama-era
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy.
H.R. 6 is the latest version of the Dream
Act, which has been introduced in nearly every Congress since 2001. The
bill would allow some undocumented young people—many of whom are college
students or aspire to postsecondary education—to earn lawful permanent
residence in the United States and a path to citizenship.
ACE and 40 other higher education groups sent a letter to
the House Monday, expressing “strong support” for H.R. 6. The letter
noted that more than 800 college and university presidents wrote to Congress
in October 2017, requesting lawmakers to pass a permanent legislative
solution protecting Dreamers. Similar support has been expressed by
hundreds of business and industry leaders, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce,
and the general public, the groups said. A June 2018 Gallup survey
found that 83 percent of Americans, including 75 percent of Republicans,
favor or strongly favor allowing Dreamers the chance to become U.S.
citizens.
The legislation also would extend protections
to immigrants with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred
Enforced Departure (DED) who have seen their status terminated and left
in uncertain limbo. Many campuses have students and employees who have
lived, worked, and studied while under TPS and DED, and ACE supports the
inclusion of protections for this population in this legislation.
The vote is expected to be largely along
party lines. At this time, 233 House Democrats have co-sponsored the
bill, leaving only six in the caucus who have not—Katie Porter (CA),
Jared Golden (ME), Collin Peterson (MN), Anthony Brindisi (NY), Kendra
Horn (OK), and Joe Cunningham (SC). Currently, there are no Republican
co-sponsors.
Supreme Court turns down White House request to fast-track DACA:
Established by President Obama in 2012, DACA allowed undocumented
immigrants who arrived in the United States at a young age to become
eligible for a work permit, a Social Security card, a driver’s license,
and deferred deportation. The Trump administration rescinded the policy Sept. 5, 2017, but delayed ending it until March 5, 2018.
In granting a six-month delay, President
Trump asked Congress to pass legislation to provide a permanent solution
for those currently protected under DACA. Congress has yet to act, but
DACA has been kept alive by court decisions, leaving Dreamers in a
political and legal limbo. The administration appealed a decision by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to the Supreme Court asking for swift action, which the court today denied.
For more information on DACA and Dreamers, including a form to contact members of Congress about the bill, see our Protect Dreamers Higher Education Coalition page.