WASHINGTON, DC – FWD.us President Todd Schulte issued the following statement on the Senate immigration amendments voted on today:

“Tonight, 800,000 Dreamers and their families will go home to more chaos, confusion, and fear because our lawmakers failed to protect them.”

“We are extremely disappointed that the Senate failed to pass bipartisan legislation to protect Dreamers and implement sensible border security measures. Senators had a unique opportunity to pass bipartisan legislation this week to give millions of hardworking young people the ability to permanently live and work legally in the country that is their home — something the overwhelming majority of Americans support, including 76% of Republicans. They failed to get the job done. We are thankful for the 46 Democrats and 8 Republicans who voted for the ‘Rounds-King’ amendment that would have given permanent status to nearly two million Dreamers who are Americans in every single way but paperwork. While we are encouraged to see a majority of Senators support two bipartisan proposals to protect Dreamers today, ultimately, these efforts failed to get the support needed to pass.

“What we also saw today was an overwhelming rejection — with 39 ‘yes’ votes and 60 ‘no’ votes — of efforts to radically slash legal immigration levels put forward by the White House. What was made abundantly clear is that efforts to slash legal immigration cannot and will not pass the United States Senate. A bipartisan approach without this is the only path forward.

“For months, President Trump has repeatedly said that Dreamers have nothing to worry about, but 800,000 Dreamers like Leezia, Maria, Lalo, and Pamela will go to bed tonight more uncertain than ever about their futures in the only country they know as home. They deserve better than to go through life counting down until the day when they will be expelled from the country that is their home, and to a country they may never remember. We are committed to fighting for a permanent legislative solution to ensure that these young people can continue to live, work, and contribute to communities across the United States without the daily fear of deportation. Our nation — and these Dreamers — deserve better.”