The holidays are not a time for fear. Yet, without action, Congress
may leave hundreds of thousands of families across America in fear this
holiday season. I am referring, of course, to the 800,000 Dreamers
across America whose lives have been thrown into jeopardy by the
administration's decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood
Arrivals Program, or DACA. DACA is a program that made it possible for 800,000 undocumented
youth across this country--including 22,000 in my home State of New
Jersey--to come out of the shadows, to step into the light, and to
follow their dreams without fear of deportation. It has been months since this administration decided to end DACA. Despite what some of my Republican colleagues say, the consequences of
this cruel and reckless decision are not some distant threat; more than
11,000 Dreamers have already lost their DACA protections and work
permits. So to anyone who thinks we have until March of next year to
take action, you are surely mistaken. For these young people who grew
up in the United States, who know no other home or country, who today
live in fear of deportation, the crisis is here, and the crisis is now. Ending DACA has created a national emergency that is playing out in
our communities each and every day. Tens of thousands of DACA
recipients are likely to lose their status on or before March 5. So
what exactly are we waiting for, and why wait at all? There is no legitimate reason for the President to have ended DACA--a
crisis that was avoidable. Now it is here, and it is our job to fix it. President Trump essentially told Congress: The ball is in your court.
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undocumented work
permits DACA deportation