Washington, DC – The Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) praised the House of Representatives for passing the American Dream and Promise Act of 2019 (H.R. 6) with bipartisan support. The bill is one of the largest legalization efforts for Dreamers and other groups of undocumented immigrants to date.
Contact: Tim McHugh, Friends Committee on National Legislation, media@fcnl.org; 202-903-2515
“Today, the House did the right thing. Dreamers, Temporary Protected Status recipients, and Deferred Enforced Departure holders need a real pathway to citizenship, not more stepped-up and aggressive immigration enforcement” said Diane Randall, FCNL executive secretary. “As Quakers, we see and answer to the Light of God in every person. Our pursuit of just immigration policies starts with this longstanding faith principle.”
In the last two years, FCNL has been advocating for immigration policy and immigrant rights. In March this year, it brought more than 500 young people to lobby their legislators on this issue. They took part in roughly 180 meetings with members of Congress and their staff. In addition, FCNL’s nationwide Advocacy Corps worked on immigration reform and helped protect the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) immigration program.
“When the administration cancelled their temporary protections, the legal status of our rooted and long-term community members was left in limbo. Now more than one million individuals who used legal channels to seek and maintain their status are left with a renewed risk for detention and or deportation,” said Hannah Graf Evans, FCNL immigration and refugee policy legislative representative. “Basic compassion and humanity dictate that we fully welcome these immigrants. This problem has gone on long enough. It’s time to act.”
The legislation now moves to the Senate, where companion bills have been introduced by Senators Lindsey Graham (SC), Dick Durbin (IL), Ben Cardin (MD), and Chris Van Hollen (MD).
To learn more, please visit www.fcnl.org.
