Committee on the Judiciary
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20010
Dear Senator:
On behalf of our 3 million members and the students they serve, we would like to submit the following comments in connection with today’s hearing, “Dream Deferred: The Urgent Need to Protect Dreamers and Pass the Dream Act.”
Most Dreamers—undocumented youth brought to the United States as children—have lived here for decades and are now adults. Three-fourths of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients have a child, sibling, spouse, or parent who is a U.S. citizen. They are integral parts of their communities, but are not treated that way.
NEA supports the Dream Act of 2023 (S. 365), the American Dream and Promise Act of 2023 (H.R. 16), and similar legislation that acknowledges and addresses these realities. Specifically:
- We support inclusive legislation that encompasses Dreamers, DACA recipients, and people granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for humanitarian reasons—a permanent solution for as many as possible—and oppose any effort to reduce or limit the number of individuals who could benefit.
- We support multiple pathways to citizenship and oppose any effort to restrict or impose additional burdens on immigrants.
- We support protecting the due process rights of every individual and oppose infringing on those rights in any way.
- We support remaining true to America’s values and history as a nation of immigrants and oppose taking punitive or hurtful actions against immigrants.
We applaud President Biden’s recent decision to expand health coverage for DACA recipients and urge the administration to take further action to stabilize families with undocumented immigrants—for example, through access to work permits and temporary status.
At the same time, NEA opposes demonizing immigrants through legislation that would severely restrict—in effect, shut down—the U.S. asylum system. The immigration process is in desperate need of attention, but the answer is NOT the Secure the Border Act of 2023 (H.R. 2) or similar legislation.
We thank you for the opportunity to submit these comments and stand ready to help pass the Dream Act or similar legislation to provide stability for immigrant students, educators, and communities nationwide.
Sincerely,
Marc Egan
Director of Government Relations
National Education Association
