Gutiérrez Encouraged By Bipartisan BRIDGE Act, Seeks House Measure for DACA DREAMers
December 9, 2016
Press Release
“I am committed to resisting any attempts at mass deportation, mass criminalization, mass registration, or mass demonization of immigrants who work hard and have contributed so much to America.”
Issues:
Chicago – Today, Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced the bipartisan BRIDGE Act to protect DREAMers with DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) by extending the program for three years. Rep. Luis V. Gutiérrez (D-IL) issued the following statement:
I am going to do whatever I can to protect the children and young adults who signed up for DACA. Period. They came forward because the President and many other leaders, including myself, asked them to register, go through the process, and trust that by following the rules they would be rewarded with the opportunity to stay in the only country they have ever known. The DREAMers I know are worried about what a Trump Administration means for their future and their ability to work, study, and remain connected to their families. This bill is a start and I plan to work with colleagues in both parties to introduce a similar effort in the House of Representatives.
Obviously, the young people who have complied with the DACA program have stepped up as leaders for the entire immigrant community. While this bill focuses on this specific group of DREAMers with DACA, the broader immigrant community deserves reassurance that the lives they have built in the United States – in most cases over decades – will not be erased. I am committed to resisting any attempts at mass deportation, mass criminalization, mass registration, or mass demonization of immigrants who work hard and have contributed so much to America.
I am very proud of Senator Graham and my Senator, Dick Durbin, who once again have stepped up in the Senate to lead the way. There are dozens of men and women in the Republican Party in the House who have stepped up in the past and I expect to work with anyone who will join me and other Democrats in putting America’s immigrants in a safe place.
Rep. Gutiérrez represents the Fourth District of Illinois, is a Member of the Judiciary Committee and is the Co-Chair of the Immigration Task Force of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
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