WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV), U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI), and Assistant Speaker Ben Ray Luján (D-NM-03) held a press conference alongside plaintiffs in the upcoming Supreme Court DACA cases calling on Congress to pass legislation to protect our nation’s Dreamers.
“Our Dreamers are some of our nation’s brightest, and we must continue to fight to protect them,” dijo el Senador Rosen. “I’m grateful for organizations in Nevada and nationwide who are working tirelessly to assist Dreamers through the DACA renewal process. If this Administration has its way, hundreds of thousands of DACA recipients could see their dreams shattered. Dreamers are our future and we simply cannot and must not let that happen.”
BACKGROUND: A livestream of the press conference can be viewed aquí.
Last week, Senator Rosen announced she has joined 49 current and former Senators and 123 current and former U.S. Representatives in filing a bipartisan amicus brief in the Supreme Court supporting DACA.
In January, Rosen co-sponsored the Protect Dreamer Confidentiality Act of 2019 (S. 197), which would safeguard the private information — such as addresses and telephone numbers — of DACA applicants to ensure that they are not targeted for deportation. Specifically, S. 197 protects DACA application information from being disclosed to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) for any purpose, other than implementing DACA.
In April, Rosen co-sponsored the American Dream Employment Act (S. 1095), which would change the law to make Dreamers – immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children and lack documentation – eligible candidates for jobs on Capitol Hill. Currently, eligibility for employment in the federal government, including the House and Senate, is restricted by a provision that is included yearly in the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations bill.
Last Congress, then-Congresswoman Rosen was an original co-sponsor of the bipartisan United and Securing America (USA) Act and the bipartisan DREAM Act, both of which would provide a path to legal permanent residency and eventual citizenship for Dreamers.
For anyone who has been granted DACA at least once, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is still accepting DACA renewal applications. Right now, DACA recipients who are eligible to apply for renewal can submit their DACA applications, and are encouraged to do so immediately. USCIS recommends 90 to 120 days to process renewal applications. Applicants are encouraged to visit USCIS’ website here to apply. Senator Rosen encourages those who are having issues with paperwork to contact her Nevada offices for assistance.
Nevada is home to an estimated 13,000 DACA recipients.
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