By Maria Ortiz
Jun 15, 2024, 17:34 PM EDT
President Joe Biden said Saturday in a statement released by the White House that he is “proud” of the contributions of the Dreamersimmigrants who arrived in the country as minors, and expressed their commitment to “preserve and strengthen” the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that protects them.
On the occasion of the 12 years of DACA, Biden highlighted that this program has given more than 800,000 Dreamers the “ability to work legally, obtain an education, open businesses and contribute their enormous talents to make our communities better and stronger.” .
“I am committed to providing Dreamers with the support they need to succeed. That is why I ordered the Department of Homeland Security to take all appropriate measures to preserve and strengthen DACA,” the president said.
He added that His Administration continues to “vigorously defend the DACA rule in the courts.”
For 12 years, DACA has provided over 800,000 Dreamers who’ve lived here most of their lives the ability to work lawfully, pursue education, open businesses, and make our communities better.
Our Administration is committed to providing Dreamers the support they need to succeed. pic.twitter.com/a7Lar35bcA
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 15, 2024
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas also defended DACA in a statement, where he said the program “has allowed hundreds of thousands of Dreamers to live without fear” in this country, “the only home many have ever known.”
Biden also mentioned that the Department of Health took “the historic step” of expanding access to quality, affordable health coverage for DACA recipients through the Affordable Care Act.
And he recalled that on the first day of his Administration he sent a “comprehensive immigration reform plan to Congress” to protect the ‘dreamers’ and their families.
But he noted that while he and Vice President Kamala Harris continue to fight for the rights of ‘Dreamers,’ “only Congress can provide permanent, lasting stability for them and their families,” and Congress “must still act.” ”.
Mayorkas also insisted on that point to underline that “only Congress can permanently protect Dreamers and provide them with a path to citizenship,” so “a lasting legislative solution is long overdue.”
“Congress needs to act. Until this happens, the Biden Administration will continue to advocate for Dreamers to ensure they have the support and security they need to thrive,” Mayorkas specified.
Several Democratic legislators also called on Biden to adopt urgent measures to protect immigrants covered by DACA this week.
Senator Alex Padilla and representatives Delia Ramírez, Sylvia García and Rashida Tlaib participated in a press conference of pro-immigrant organizations in Congress on the occasion of the 12th anniversary of DACA, which marks this week.
“The reality is that these children are no longer children,” said Ramírez, who is married to one of the 800,000 immigrants who came to benefit from this program promoted by former President Barack Obama (2009-2017) and which allows their children to work legally. beneficiaries.
Keep reading:
• Dreamers send a strong message to Trump in a new video on the anniversary of DACA
• DACA celebrates 12 years of success without achieving permanent immigration protections for Dreamers
• Congressional Democrats demand measures to protect “dreamers”