Rep. Torres on Trump's Decision to End DACA
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Rep. Norma J. Torres (D-Pomona) issued the following statement in response to President Trump's decision to phase out the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program over a six month period:
"Todays' announcement is a betrayal of American values and a needless attack on thousands of hardworking young people who want nothing more than an opportunity to contribute to this country. 800,000 young people have benefited from DACA. These are not faceless names – they are our neighbors, our friends, our family. They own businesses in our community and go to school with our children. Perhaps most disturbingly – those who enrolled in the DACA program did so voluntarily and took the word of the federal government in exchange for coming out of the shadows. Rescinding the DACA program will mean breaking our word to these brave young people.
"DACA was never meant as a permanent fix to our nation's broken immigration system, but as a common sense measure to direct our federal resources to where they are needed most. However, President Trump has shown no ability or desire to get us any closer to fixing the problems we know must be addressed and has instead chosen to rally his base while weakening our national security by wasting resources on breaking up families.
"Now is the time for all Americans to come together and make it clear to President Trump that we will not turn our back on our neighbors. It is the responsibility of Congress to pass bipartisan legislation to protect Dreamers and begin fixing our broken immigration system. I urge Speaker Ryan and Republicans in Congress to take this up immediately. There is no reason to wait."
Residents of the 35th congressional district, which includes the cities of Bloomington, Chino, Fontana, Montclair, Ontario, Pomona, and Rialto, should call Torres's Ontario Office at (909) 481-6474 with any questions or concerns.