Street Roots • September 8-14, 2017
News
‘Dreamers deserve
the chance to succeed’
U .S. Rep. Suzanne Bonam ici says D A C A
repeal plays political games with the lives o f
people who deserve a path to citizenship
BY JOANNE ZUHL
Page 7
scared these children are for the future.
The Dreamers whose parents brought them
to the United States as children have known
no other home. Across Northwest Oregon,
Dreamers are going to school, working hard in
a variety of industries, and contributing to
their communities through paying taxes and
doing volunteer work.
These inspiring, hard-working young people
are woven into the fabric of our communities
and all they ask in return is to have the
opportunity to earn their work permits and
eventually a pathway to citizenship.
S T A F F W R IT E R
ne out of every eight residents in
Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici’s
District 1 is Latino or Hispanic, making
the repeal the Deferred Action for Childhood
Arrivals program a critical policy shift for her
constituents.
The decision by the White House clears the
way for deporting young adults who were
brought to this country when they were
children, many of whom know no other
country as their home.
Rep. Bonamici, who is also the vice ranking
member of the Housing Committee on
Education and Workforce, called the decision
“heartless,” saying it doesn’t improve national
safety and will have a detrimental effect on
the economy. Cutting the program, she said,
“sends a message to the rest of the world that
our country has lost its humanitarian spirit
and inclusive values.”
Bonamici took a few minutes out of her
schedule while traveling to Washington, D .C .,
to answer several questions from Street Roots
about the White House’s decision and the
impact it could have on her Latino and
Hispanic constituents.
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Jo a n n e Z u h l: What are you hearing from
yo u r constituents in Oregon? H ow much are
D A C A recipients contributors to your D istrict?
What are they asking fo r?
R ep . S u z a n n e B o n am ici: Following a
meeting in McMinnville earlier this year, a
young teenager politely asked me if he could
apply early for DACA so he could have the
certainty of staying in Oregon. I won’t forget
the fear in his voice. This particular child was
ineligible for DACA because he was too young,
but the interaction reiterated to me just how
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S .R .: What is being done fo r D A C A recipients
right now, an d during this 6 months before
March 5, the cutoff date?
S .B .: It’s irresponsible and heartless to play
political games with young people’s lives by
announcing that the DACA program will end
in six months. Dreamers deserve the chance
to succeed. It’s difficult to focus on your
studies or commit yourself to a job if you
think you may soon be forced to leave the
only country you’ve called home. The Trump
Administration has created a lot of fear and
uncertainty. Congress must put differences
aside and pass legislation to make sure the
Dreamers can stay. It’s been somewhat
reassuring to hear colleagues on both sides of
the aisle express support for Dreamers; now
it’s time to put those words into legislation.
S .R .: You said that “i f Congressional
leadership is willing, we can make this part o f
much-needed comprehensive im migration
reform. ” What do you want to see done or
changed? Do yo u w a n t to see more stream lined
a n d accessible paths to citizenship, an d i f so,
what would that look like?
S .B .: In 2013, the Senate passed bipartisan
comprehensive immigration reform that
included a path to citizenship, but the House
leadership refused to bring the proposal up
for debate and a vote. I applauded former
President Obama for taking action within his
executive authority to bring millions of young
Americans out of the shadows.
I stand ready work with my colleagues on
both sides of the aisle on comprehensive
immigration reform. Business owners need
reform to eliminate uncertainty surrounding
their workforce. Technology companies want
an updated visa process to keep skilled
workers in the United States. And families
long for the opportunity to build their lives
and the peace and security of knowing they
are safe together.
S .R .: I ’d like yo u r response to this statement
by A .G . J e f f Sessions: “The compassionate thing
to do is to end the lawlessness, enforce our laws
and, i f Congress chooses to make changes to
those laws, to do so through the process set forth
by our founders in a way that advances the
interest o f the Am erican people. ”
S .B .: The compassionate thing to do is to
not pull the rug out from under young people
who are loyal to the United States - the only
home they’ve ever known. We shouldn’t be
punishing these individuals caught in a broken
system through no fault of their own. Passing
legislation that allows them to stay advances
the interest of the American people, and I
hope we can do that soon.
S .R .: The White H ouse is saying D A C A
recipients are not deportation priorities unless
they’re crim inals, involved in crim inal activity
or are gang members. Yet D A C A youth have to
pass a pretty rigorous screening process, and any
o f the above would either mean either mandatory
or discretionary denial. You have met D A C A
recipients - tell us about the people you meet.
S.B .: It’s important to remember that
people who qualify for DACA have already
sh o w n th a t th e y are n o t a th r e a t to p u b lic
safety. The DACA recipients I ’ve met are
bright and full of promise, and they Jove their
families and the United States. Many are
students, working hard to get an education.
But now they are threatened, and that’s
tragic. With the values of compassion and
understanding, why and how could we
threaten to deport these people to countries
they do not know?
I am the granddaughter of immigrants, and
many of our region’s leading public figures are
immigrants or descendants of immigrants.
Trump must stop scapegoating immigrants,
who have played such an important role in
building this country.
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