Congresswoman Torres Commemorates 11th Anniversary of DACA
Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Norma J. Torres (CA-35) issued the following statement on the 11th anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which protects immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children and prevents them from being deported:
"I came to the U.S. as a child and empathize deeply with the countless young immigrants who have done the same. They deserve the same opportunity I had to become U.S. citizens and give back to their communities. For 11 years, DACA has made our nation stronger by granting migrant youth peace of mind and allowing them to take advantage of our nation's expanse of educational and economic opportunity," said Congresswoman Norma Torres. "Unfortunately, years of partisan attacks on DACA, including the ongoing court case before a federal judge in Texas, have trapped Dreamers in a state of uncertainty about their future. For the sake of the hundreds of thousands of Dreamers in the Inland Empire and across the country, Congress must act swiftly to make DACA permanent and deliver a pathway to citizenship."
Congresswoman Torres is an original cosponsor of the American Dream and Promise Act, which was reintroduced in the House today with bipartisan support. The bill, which passed the House on a bipartisan basis last Congress, establishes a pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients.
"Protecting DACA is an important step toward fixing our broken immigration system, but Dreamers are not the only immigrants stuck in legal limbo," continued Congresswoman Torres. "By making a simple, historically bipartisan update to our existing registry law, we can open the door to legal status and citizenship for the hard-working immigrants who are American in every way except on paper. This year, I was proud to reintroduce my bill with Reps. Zoe Lofgren, Grace Meng, Lou Correa, Adriano Espaillat, and Chuy García to update the registry eligibility cutoff date for the first time in over three decades. I call on Congress to pass this bill – which is just a little over a page – to keep families together and deliver dignity for the hard-working immigrants that make our communities and country great."
The Congresswoman reintroduced H.R. 1511, the Renewing Immigration Provisions of the Immigration Act of 1929 earlier this year. Her bill updates the registry provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), which permits certain immigrants to apply for permanent residency. The cutoff date for registry eligibility has been updated several times, most recently in 1986.