WASHINGTON, D.C. March 5, 2018– U.S. Senator Kamala D. Harris released the following statement today on the deadline President Trump arbitrarily chose to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program:
Dreamers are Americans in every way but on paper. They have grown up in our communities and pledge allegiance to our flag. They’re contributing to our economy and thriving in our universities, workforce and military, including 220,000 in California alone. Dreamers represent the best of who we are as a country and know no other place but the United States as their home.
In September, this Administration callously rescinded the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and arbitrarily chose today as its final date. Although two nationwide injunctions allow for certain DACA recipients to renew their status, these young people remain in limbo. Their future is uncertain without a permanent legislative solution and every day they continue to live in fear of being taken away from their families and homes.
The reality is, this Administration created this crisis and sabotaged every effort by Congress to resolve it by using these young people as pawns to achieve an anti-immigrant agenda.
Every single day we don’t act to protect Dreamers is a day our country is failing an important moral test. Especially when we know there is a strong, bipartisan bill in the House of Representatives, the USA Act, which is co-sponsored by 27 Republicans and could be voted on today. We must act.