Asian Americans Advancing Justice deeply saddened by Senate failure to defend undocumented youth

Washington, DC — January 22, 2018 — Today, the Senate voted unanimously to reopen the government through February 8 without a solution for the 800,000 DACA recipients. Their refusal to resolve the DACA crisis that the Trump administration created ignores the will of the American people, 87 percent of whom are in favor of providing a pathway to citizenship for our immigrant youth.

Asian Americans Advancing Justice, an affiliation of five civil rights organizations and collective vocal advocates for DACA recipients, issues the following statement:

“Disheartened is the best way to describe our reaction to Democrats’ reversal on today’s vote to extend government funding without a solution for undocumented youth. A number of Republicans have continuously promised to provide a resolution for DACA recipients within the negotiations about a government spending bill. Today, a resolution for DACA recipients slipped through our fingers when Senators got cold feet.

Any legislation to halt the Trump shutdown should have included the passage of a clean DREAM Act that would have protected over one million immigrants, including 130,000 Asian immigrants. Congress needs to remember it works for the American people. In refusing to resolve the DACA crisis, it has not only failed immigrant youth but also failed their constituents who overwhelmingly support DACA recipients. This is not just about protecting immigrants. It is also about passing humane and common-sense legislation. Republican leaders in the Senate, House, and White House are letting racists and extremists dictate their agenda.

The plan to bring an immigration bill to a vote as standalone legislation in the Senate is not guaranteed, and it does not include a path forward for the House. The majority of Americans support a solution for DACA recipients and we have the votes in both houses to get the DREAM Act passed into law, the President and Speaker Ryan continue to obstruct a solution.

We will continue to stand up to white supremacist objectives on immigration policy and press for a clean DREAM Act. Congress, it’s time to stop kicking the can down the road and pretending to be working on a solution. A bipartisan solution already exists. The American people and more than one million immigrants deserve the passage of a clean DREAM Act. Do your job.”

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Asian Americans Advancing Justice is a national affiliation of five leading organizations advocating for the civil and human rights of Asian Americans and other underserved communities to promote a fair and equitable society for all. The affiliation’s members are: Advancing Justice | AAJC (Washington, DC), Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus (San Francisco), Advancing Justice – Los Angeles, Advancing Justice – Atlanta, and Advancing Justice – Chicago.