I’m not sure if you know this about me, but I am the daughter of an immigrant. My mother immigrated to the U.S. as a child, unable to speak English and with little education.
Like so many immigrants, she worked hard. She gave back to society. And she raised a daughter who would go on to serve her adopted country in the United States Senate.
But now, President Trump is on the verge of ending important immigration programs, including DACA, which protect more than 750,000 Dreamers from deportation.
DACA allows Dreamers to register, pay a fee, and pass a background check in order to stay in the country they call home. Right now, over 750,000 young immigrants who came to our country as children have become productive members of our society.
Under DACA, Dreamers have been able to go to school, pay their taxes, and make lasting contributions to their communities as teachers, healthcare providers, small-business owners, and more. Deporting them would cost us more than $60 billion and reduce our nation’s economic growth by $280 billion.
Yet, the attorneys general of 10 states are threatening to sue President Trump if he doesn’t end DACA. And now, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has refused to defend the rights of Dreamers.
Thanks for your help on this critical issue,
Dianne