(BIVN) – Hawaii Senator Mazie Hirono joined other Democrats outside the Capitol in Washington on Tuesday, urging Republicans to join them in passing the DREAM Act in the wake of President Trump’s decision to end DACA, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, in a six months time.
“Six months is a very short time to be thinking about the prospects of being deported,” Sen. Hirono said from the podium.
The event was put together by the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.
“The Trump Administration’s decision to rescind DACA is a cruel and devastating blow to the nearly 800,000 young Americans currently enrolled in the program,” said CAPAC Chair Rep. Judy Chu (CA-27) in a Sept. 5 media release. “This indefensible action is an open attack on America’s immigrant communities and undermines our core values as a nation. By definition, DREAMers contribute to the economy and obey our laws. By ending the DACA program, President Trump betrays his true motives. This is not about the economy or crime; rather he only seeks to further his xenophobic, anti-immigrant agenda, which continues to tear families apart.”
“I call upon Republican leadership in Congress to join with Democrats to take immediate action to protect our nation’s DREAMers,” Rep. Chu continued. “There are already bipartisan, bicameral proposals like the DREAM Act of 2017 which are ready to be voted on. We must pass a permanent legislative solution to ensure that our nation’s DREAMers can continue to pursue their dreams without fear of deportation.”
According to the caucus website, all four of Hawaii’s congressional representatives (Sen. Hirono, Sen. Brian Schatz, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, and Rep. Colleen Hanabusa) are members.
Video by House Democrats via YouTube.
