WASHINGTON, DC— Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Dream and Promise Act with stronger bipartisan support than in the past Congress. This vital legislation will provide a hard-earned and long-awaited pathway to citizenship to millions of Dreamers who have called this country home since childhood.
DACA recipients on FWD.us’ staff issued the following statements:
“This legislation means relief for me and so many people who, since a very young age, have called the United States home. It has been acutely difficult to live a life bounded by court decisions and filled with uncertainty. H.R. 6 represents an opportunity to realize my long-awaited dream of becoming a citizen.” — Samuel Cervantes, Research Associate (Arlington, VA & Houston, TX)
“When someone asks me where I’m from, I say Newark, NJ; it’s where I went to school, learned to ride a bike, and had my dreams for the future. Newark is the place where I built community and established a sense of self. The passage of H.R. 6 will mean that after calling this country my home for 20 years, lawmakers and elected officials will also recognize it as such.” — Daniela Chomba, Operations Associate (Newark, NJ)
“Thanks to the tireless work of activists, organizers, and lawmakers committed to protecting immigrants, I can wake up on Friday morning knowing that my future is not at risk. Passing the Dream and Promise Act means I’ll be able to stay with my family and continue providing for them. Today’s historic and long-overdue vote means I’ll be able to travel freely, finally one step closer to reuniting with a family I’ve missed for twenty years.” — Pamela Chomba, Director of State Immigration Campaigns (Newark, NJ)
“I could share all my achievements; the grades I received, the community service hours, the honor societies. But instead, I want to share, simply, that my home is here. This is the place I’ve made a lifetime of memories and the country I have called home for over two decades. The precarity of my future has weighed heavily on me for the past 22 years, but the passage of the Dream and Promise Act gives me renewed hope that we are closer to achieving permanent protections for millions of people like me. I celebrate today and look forward to when I can wake up in the country I’ve called home since I was five years old without the fear of deportation; to the day the millions of undocumented individuals who have been a part of our society for decades can wake up with a little more ease. We deserve the opportunity to live a dignified life without fear. We deserve a pathway to citizenship.” — Maria Praeli, Government Relations Manager (New Milford, CT)
“I’m excited that the U.S. House of Representatives has taken steps to pass H.R. 6, allowing millions of DACA recipients such as myself to earn a pathway to citizenship in the only country we have known and loved. This bill will allow me to get a Bachelor of Arts in finance, continue giving back to my community, and ensure that my 13-month-old son has a bright future ahead of him. I urge the Senate to act boldly and pass H.R 6, and finally allow Dreamers to be at ease in our home.” — Jaime Rangel, Georgia State Immigration Manager (Dalton, GA)
“Passing the Dream and Promise Act means a pathway to citizenship and guaranteed protections for me and millions of others. I will no longer have to rely on bi-annual renewal of my DACA to work, drive, or buy a home. As a Black undocumented immigrant, I am undercounted in power and privilege and overrepresented in persecution and oppression. With the passage of the Dream and Promise Act, my immigration status will no longer be a predeterminant for the amount of access and privilege I have in this country.” — Joella Roberts, University Program Coordinator (Trinidad & Tobago/Washington, D.C.)
Background
With the passage of the Dream and Promise Act (H.R. 6) in the House on a bipartisan vote, it’s now up to the Senate to act with urgency and pass this important legislation to keep families together and grow our economy. A pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants is critical to our continued response and recovery from the COVID-19 crisis, and also wildly popular with the American public, with support from nearly 80% of voters.
People across the country overwhelmingly support protecting these communities because they know a pathway to citizenship will keep families together while growing our economy. More than 23 million immigrant essential workers — including more than 5 million undocumented immigrants — have been on the frontlines of the response to COVID-19, helping keep food on our tables and caring for the sick as essential frontline workers, even as their own futures are uncertain.
