Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Statement on Trump's Termination of DACA

Statement

Today, Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham (NM-01), released the following statement after Attorney General Jeff Sessions relayed that President Trump has decided to terminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program with a six-month delay period:

"President Trump's decision to terminate the DACA program is a direct assault on American values. The President's inhumane, morally reprehensible, and cruel action uses the lives of DREAMers as bargaining chips and pawns in his effort to further his anti-immigrant agenda. It is clear, whether it happens today or in six-months, the President is choosing to upend and devastate the lives of hundreds of thousands of hardworking young people who are American in every way.

"DACA has allowed nearly one million hardworking and driven young people make positive economic contributions to our nation and enabled them to live the American Dream. Mr. Trump's callous action strips the hope and humanity away from young people who grew up here, go to school here, and work here. Ending and not defending DACA is a complete betrayal of the promise our government made to these young people and robs them of what our country stands for and was built upon, which is hard work and the idea that perseverance pays off. Ending DACA ends the American Dream for 800,000 aspiring Americans.

"Congress must act quickly to protect DREAMers and immigrant families from the senseless cruelty of deportation and the President's divisive mass deportation agenda. I call on my Republican colleagues to bring a clean DREAM Act for a vote without delay.

"To every Dreamer in America -- you embody the American Dream; we stand with you, support you and will fight alongside you to preserve America's promise."

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