Representative Adriano Espaillat Recognizes 12th Anniversary of DACA, Urges Congress to Pass the American Dream and Promise Act
NEW YORK, NY -- Today, Rep. Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Deputy Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), issued a statement in celebration of the 12th anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and urged Congress to pass the bipartisan American Dream and Promise Act.
"Twelve years ago today, the Obama-Biden administration announced the DACA program to protect young people from being deported who came to America when they were very young," said Rep. Espaillat. "Dreamers were about 7 years old when they came to the United States through no fault of their own, and DACA gave them the chance to live here, go to school, and become important members of our communities who contribute to our economy. Now, DACA recipients are teachers, doctors, lawyers, first responders, business owners, and essential workers. They make our neighborhoods better and add to America’s rich diversity.
"Even though DACA has helped over 800,000 Dreamers, some politicians want to dismantle the program to advance their political agenda," added Rep. Espaillat. "These attacks have caused a lot of uncertainty and stress for Dreamers and their families. Dreamers deserve a path to citizenship and the stability that comes with it. The American Dream and Promise Act, endorsed by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, would provide a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, Temporary Protected Status holders (TPS), and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) recipients.
"I am proud to join my colleagues in celebration of this historic program and promise to always protect Dreamers, TPS holders, and DED recipients from political attacks, because America is their home."
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Representative Espaillat is the first Dominican American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and his congressional district includes Harlem, East Harlem, West Harlem, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill and the north-west Bronx. First elected to Congress in 2016, Representative Espaillat is serving his fourth term in Congress. Representative Espaillat currently serves as a member of the influential U.S. House Committee on Appropriations responsible for funding the federal government’s vital activities and serves as Ranking Member of the Legislative Branch Subcommittee of the committee during the 118th Congress. He is also a member of the House Budget Committee and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), where he serves in a leadership role as the Deputy Chair as well as Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI). Rep. Espaillat is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) and serves as a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. To find out more about Rep. Espaillat, visit online at https://espaillat.house.gov/.
Media inquiries: Candace Person at Candace.Person@mail.house.gov