Hope for DREAMers
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Dear Fellow Coloradan,
As a strong supporter of the DREAM Act, I welcomed President Obama's decision last week to prioritize federal resources for immigration-enforcement on violent felons and not on youth who – through no fault of their own – were brought here at a young age and have been raised as Americans.
While this was a historic announcement, it still falls short of comprehensively dealing with our country's broken immigration system.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, many immigrants brought to the United States as children do not present a risk to our national security or public safety. In fact, these "DREAMers," who know of no other home but the United States, contribute positively to the communities they grew up in. Yet their immigration status stands in the way of their dreams to do more.
President Obama's announcement gives upstanding young men and women a reprieve from the threat of forced deportation. But we cannot fully address the estimated 11.5 million undocumented workers living in the United States without a comprehensive solution.
It's now up to Congress to help President Obama address this pressing issue and produce a bipartisan solution. And the DREAM Act needs to be part of that solution.
America is strong because – and not despite – of our diversity. This policy gives young immigrants hope for the future. We still have a lot of work to do, but this is an important step forward.
Warm regards,
