Hoyer Marks DREAM Act Anniversary
Posted for Congressman Steny Hoyer
Earlier this month upon the fourth anniversary of the DREAM Act passing the House during the Democratic-led 111th Congress, House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer released a statement calling on Congress to speedily fix the nation’s immigration system.
The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act (“DREAM Act”) addresses the plight of young undocumented immigrants growing up in the United States who wish to go to college and obtain lawful employment. The Act permits current, former, and future undocumented high-school graduates and GED recipients a pathway to U.S. citizenship through college or the armed services. At the time of passage, there was an estimated 2.1 million undocumented children and young adults in the U.S. who were eligible for legal status under the DREAM Act, allowing them to make greater contributions to the U.S. economy and society. On Dec. 8, 2010, the DREAM Act was brought up and passed in the House by a vote of 216-198; however, it received 55 yeas and 41 nays in the Senate, falling five votes short of cloture.
Rep. Hoyer said, “In 2010, the Democratic Majority in the House brought to the Floor and passed legislation to end the threat of deportation for law-abiding, undocumented immigrants who were brought here as children and have known no other home than America. These young people, known as ‘DREAMers,’ grew up in our communities and studied in our schools. Many of them have no memories of living anywhere other than the United States and should not have to live under the constant threat of deportation from the country they love and want to help build. Republicans blocked the Senate from following the House’s lead in 2010 – and, four years later, House Republicans had still not allowed a vote on the DREAM Act or any other immigration reform legislation. That’s why the President took what legal steps he could to help many of these young people receive deferred action on their deportation proceedings.”
On Nov. 20 and 21, President Obama announced his “immigration accountability executive action,” which included a series of first steps towards immigration reforms, ranging from temporary immigration protections for unauthorized parents of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents to highly technical regulatory proposals to fix outdated visa provisions. In light of this action, Rep. Hoyer concluded, “the executive actions President Obama took last month built on those that helped many DREAMers stay here. However, in order to find a long-term solution to our immigration challenges that keeps DREAMers and their families together and reflects America’s highest values and strongest ideals, Congress must take legislative action in the form of bipartisan, comprehensive immigration reform.”
Source: Immigration Policy Center
