Dream and Promise Act turns the page on politics of inaction for aspiring new Americans

WASHINGTON - Today the Dream and Promise Act of 2019 (H.R. 6) was introduced in the U.S. of House of Representatives. In addition to extending protections for individuals with Temporary Protected Status (TPS), H.R. 6 aims at providing a pathway to citizenship for individuals brought to the United States as minors. President Trump ended DACA in September 2017 and revoked TPS, which is when the U.S. designates a foreign country unsafe due to armed conflict, natural disaster, epidemic or other extraordinary conditions, from hundreds of thousands of immigrants from seven countries.

NEA President Lily Eskelsen García issued the following statement:

“The Dream and Promise Act of 2019 begins to turn the page on the politics of inaction for aspiring new Americans. H.R. 6 will provide the protection and certainty our neighbors, our friends, and, yes, our students and peers deserve. More to the point, this proposal justly upholds our country’s values of welcoming immigrants and their many contributions to our country.

“Sadly and regrettably, Donald Trump and his allies have left behind a long trail of disappointment, angst, and uncertainty among our immigrant families. Whether rescinding DACA and revoking TPS, threatening to build a wall along the U.S. – Mexico border, or detaining parents as they drop off their kids at school, Trump and his allies are playing dangerous political games with the lives of our students, their parents, and our educators. They have demonized them for political gains. Trump’s treatment of them is inhumane, cruel, and contrary to the values that we hold dear as a nation.

“Repeatedly the politics of Congressional inaction for our Dreamers are hurting real people, including DACAmented educators and TPS recipients who are educators. When educators lose their protected status, they also lose their work permits. Not only will it remove teachers and students from our classrooms, our educators’ lose their ability to support their families, pay their mortgages, even lose their employer-provided health insurance, let alone exposing them to deportation. This must stop now.

“We commend Representatives Lucille Roybal-Allard, (D-CA), Nydia Velázquez, (D-NY), and Yvette Clarke, (D-NY) for having the political will to protect Dreamers and recipients of TPS from the hateful attacks by the Trump administration. Now is the time to pass the Dream and Promise Act of 2019.”