In response to confirmation that President Trump is moving forward with his cruel decision to end Deferred Action of Childhood Arrivals (DACA), the landmark executive order that allowed more than 800,000 law-abiding DREAMers to come out of the shadows, live without the fear of deportation and obtain temporary work permits, DCCC Chairman Ben Ray Luján issued the following statement:
“President Trump’s cowardice on DACA threatens the lives of hundreds of thousands of law-abiding young people and is a disgrace. In Trump’s absence of leadership and compassion, House Republicans must move immediately to work with Democrats, codify DACA into law and do everything possible to protect DREAMers.
“House Republicans have a lot to prove, given that this DACA decision is the result of the fierce anti-immigrant agenda that they’ve been pushing since before Donald Trump ever considered running for President. Ultimately, it’s the House Republicans who have failed to pass comprehensive immigration reform, failed to achieve meaningful protections for DREAMers and failed to put country before party for fear of upsetting the fringes of their base.
“Make no mistake: President Trump’s actions represent the Republican Party, but they do not represent what makes America great, and I know that the American people reject the decision to end this program.”