The New Democrat Coalition (NDC) is calling for Congress to pass legislation that would protect Dreamers, urging Congress to take “urgent action” before the lame-duck session concludes.
In a statement released on Wednesday (December 7), the chair of the NDC, Rep. Suzan Delbene (D-Wash.), alongside chairs of the immigration task force Reps. Greg Stanton (Az.) and Salud Carbajal (CA.) urged Congress to develop a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers.
In the joint statement, the lawmakers claimed stakes were “too high for inaction.”
The lawmakers also expressed their interest in working on bipartisan legislation giving “Dreamers the stability and security they’ve been waiting for” before this Congress ends at the end of the year.
Reports have surfaced that the Senate is already taking steps to hash out a bipartisan deal that would protect Dreamers — undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children.
According to reporting by The Washington Post, Senators Kirsten Sinema (D-Az.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) have already fleshed out a deal that would secure a citizenship pathway for roughly two million Dreamers. However, the legislation also includes provisions — like enhancing border security — to make it more appealing to a GOP base.
Since October, following an appeals court ruling that the Deferred Action Childhood Arrivals program was unlawful, immigration activists have been intensifying calls to have legislation that would forge the pathway to citizenship.
The October ruling meant the 2012 Obama-created DACA program could no longer accept new applicants but enabled previous applicants to continue renewing their DACA status every two years.
