Reps. Roybal-Allard, Lujan Grisham, Statement on October 5th DACA Deadline

Statement

Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-40), the ranking member on the House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, joined Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) Chairwoman Congresswoman Michelle Lujan Grisham (NM-01) and CHC Immigration Task Force Chair Congressman Luis V. Gutiérrez (IL-04) to release the following statement in response to reports that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will not extend the October 5th renewal deadline for recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and is open to sharing DACA recipient data with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE):

"The Trump Administration first rescinded DACA, upending the lives of nearly 800,000 Dreamers, young patriots who have done everything right. Then, DHS proceeded to issue an unrealistic and arbitrary DACA renewal deadline of October 5th. This meant that 154,000 Dreamers had 30 days to find legal assistance, fill out renewal paperwork and pay a $495 fee or risk losing their status and getting deported. DHS has not done any outreach or provided support to these 154,000 Dreamers to ensure they can meet this unrealistic deadline and keep their status. Instead, DHS Acting Secretary Duke has chosen to undermine DACA renewal efforts by creating more fear by stating that DACA recipient data can be shared with ICE.

"The reality is that individuals require the assistance of attorneys to ensure their applications are completed correctly and the short amount of time to come up with the $495 application fee disproportionately affects Dreamers who are students and breadwinners. Moreover, the recent natural disasters have created a substantial and unanticipated barrier for Dreamers to file their applications.

"The Administration should exercise common sense and extend the DACA renewal deadline to January 5, 2018, as we requested in a September 21st letter to Acting DHS Secretary Elaine Duke. Surely, Dreamers who have met every requirement to receive DACA and are contributing to their communities as paramedics, teachers, and soldiers in the armed forces are deserving of an extension. Furthermore, we urge the Administration to protect DACA recipients' privacy and confidentiality by not sharing their data with ICE."

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