Heinrich Joins Colleagues in Filing Amendment to the National Security Supplemental to Provide Fair & Earned Path to Citizenship for Dreamers
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) joined U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and 25 of their colleagues to file the Dream Act as an amendment to the National Security Supplemental.
The legislation would allow noncitizens without lawful status who were brought to the United States as children and meet certain education or work requirements to earn lawful permanent residence. These young people, known as Dreamers, have lived in America since they were children, built their lives here, and are American in every way except for their immigration status. However, under current law, there is often no chance for them to become citizens and fulfill their potential.
“Dreamers are invaluable members of our communities in New Mexico and across the country. When Congress provides Dreamers with a reliable, fair pathway to United States citizenship, Dreamers will finally be able to contribute to their fullest, without worrying about when their time here – the only country they’ve ever called home – will end,” said Heinrich. “I’m proud to join my colleagues in filing this amendment to the National Security Supplemental to get this done.”
“I introduced this legislation more than 20 years ago. It provides a path to citizenship for young immigrants who were brought to the United States as children and allows them to remain in the United States—their home,” said Durbin. “They went to school here. They stood up each morning in the classroom and pledged allegiance to that same flag we just pledged allegiance to. They believed they were part of this country. It wasn't until they were usually 10 or 12 years old their parents told them ‘your legal status is uncertain, you’re undocumented, we don’t know what your future holds, be careful. If you’re not careful, you could be deported, and we could be deported with you.’ That terrible circumstance prevailed for hundreds of thousands of young people in this country. The Dream Act said give them a chance to earn their pathway to citizenship. That’s what the bill said when it was introduced. They’ve known no other home. Yet, without congressional action, they spend every day in fear of deportation.”
On Saturday, Durbin announced that he was filing his amendment on the Senate Floor alongside Heinrich and U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Catherine Cortez-Masto (D-Nev.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Angus King (I-Maine), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.).
Background:
Heinrich has long been a leading advocate for Dreamers in New Mexico and has repeatedly called on Republicans in Congress to pass the Dream Act without delay. Heinrich has also led bicameral legislation called the Protect Dreamer Confidentiality Actto safeguard the private information—such as addresses and telephone numbers—of Dreamers protected under DACA to ensure they are not targeted for deportation.
Durbin first introduced the Dream Act more than 20 years ago. In 2010, Durbin sent a letter, joined by then-Senator Richard Lugar (R-Ind.), asking then-President Obama to stop the deportation of Dreamers. President Obama responded by announcing the Deferred Action for Child Arrivals (DACA) program. More than 800,000 Dreamers have since come forward and received DACA, which has allowed them to contribute more fully to their country as teachers, nurses, doctors, engineers, and small business owners.
The Dream Act was included in the 2013 comprehensive immigration reform bill that Heinrich supported and that passed the Senate on a strong bipartisan vote of 68-32. The Republican leadership of the House of Representatives refused to consider that bill. Over the years, Senate Republicans have filibustered the Dream Act numerous times.
Dreamers are protected from deportation for now. But due to lawsuits by extreme MAGA Republicans, their fates are in the hands of a Republican-appointed federal judge who has repeatedly found DACA and other programs like it unlawful.
Former President Donald Trump attempted to terminate the DACA program on September 5, 2017, throwing the lives of nearly 700,000 Dreamers into chaos, before the program was reinstated by a federal court.
Last September, a federal judge in Texas declared the DACA program illegal. Though the decision left in place protections for current DACA recipients while the appeal is pending, they live in fear that the next court decision will upend their lives.
