Bill treats immigrants brought to U.S. as children humanely
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today voted for and the House passed H.R. 6, the Dream and Promise Act, whose Dream Act portion of the bill establishes a process for eligible immigrants brought to the United States as children to apply for legal permanent residency. The Promise Act portion of the bill provides a path to legal permanent residency for individuals who held or were eligible for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) or Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) on January 1, 2017. The vote was 237 to 187.
Congressman Cohen made the following statement:
“Dreamers are Americans in every way except on paper. They have lived in this country the better part of their lives. They are our children’s classmates and our neighbors and contribute to our economy while making us a more diverse nation. Those in our country on temporary status are here because the Department of Homeland Security determined conditions in their home countries demanded our humane response. These families have built their lives here over decades and deserve a shot at permanent residency.”
The Trump Administration has thrown the lives of Dreamers and those with TPS and DED into limbo. The courts have stopped some planned deportations but that could change.
