Atlanta, GA, March 26, 2019 — Today, Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) introduced the 2019 Dream Act, and Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Ben Cardin (D-MD) introduced the 2019 Secure Act – both bills provide support and protection to immigrant communities who have been under constant attack in the last few years.

Asian Americans Advancing Justice, an affiliation of five civil rights organizations, responds to the introduction of the two bills with the following statement:

“Today, several Senators took steps to provide immigrants with the protections that have been stripped away by President Donald Trump and his administration.

We welcome the introduction of the 2019 Dream Act which, if enacted, will protect millions of immigrant youth from deportation. Since it was first introduced in 2001, the Dream Act has promised to provide immigrant youth with a pathway to citizenship and permanent protection from deportation and separation from their families here in the U.S. The Dream Act is a baseline immigrant protection bill with bipartisan support that provides crucial protections without harming immigrant communities.

The Dream Act, coupled with the 2019 Secure Act that was also introduced today, are necessary legislative steps to stopping the inhumane policies of this administration. The 2019 Secure Act provides a pathway to citizenship and permanent protection from deportation to those under Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) programs—covering more than 400,000 people who have made the United States their home.

The American people support permanent protections for undocumented youth and TPS and DED recipients, and we urge Congress to pass these important bills.”