AILA President: DREAMers Still Waiting for Permanent Status 13 Years Later

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) recognizes the thirteenth anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative, AILA President Kelli Stump called on Congress to act in the following statement:

“On this day, 13 years ago, I stood with hundreds of other immigration attorneys, many moved to tears of joy, to witness then-President Obama’s formal Rose Garden speech announcing how his administration was protecting DREAMers from deportation and offering security for them to pursue school or work. Over the following weeks, immigration lawyers worked tirelessly to prepare applications and help the hundreds of thousands of young people eligible to apply for DACA. I am immensely proud of all of that work. However, 13 years later, why are we still waiting? Why are DREAMers still waiting?

“The lack of permanent protection has eroded the hope of so many. Time and time again we have seen DACA under attack by states and the first Trump Administration. Each time, young people can’t help but feel targeted and cast aside. We urge Congress to pass legislation to permanently protect DREAMers as well as the many others who have lived for years in legal limbo. These 600,000 young people—brought to the U.S. as children—have built their lives here, contributing to our economy, communities, and national defense. They are teachers, nurses, small business owners, and essential workers who pay billions in taxes annually and support families and local economies. And in poll after poll, Americans overwhelmingly support legalizing the status of undocumented people who have been residents for years and are contributing to our communities. Congressional inaction on this legislation is frankly a tremendous moral and political failure. I urge legislators to put aside partisan differences and pass legislation to offer security in this time of chaos and turmoil.”