Presidents’ Alliance joined HACU and others to send a letter to Speaker of the House Ryan calling for legislation that supports Dreamers and protects family unity

Organizational Letter in Opposition to Border Security and Immigration Reform Act of 2018 (H.R. 6136)

June 21, 2018

The Honorable Paul Ryan
Speaker
United States House of Representatives
H-232, The Capitol
Washington, D.C. 20515

Re: Opposition to Border Security and Immigration Reform Act of 2018 (H.R. 6136)

Dear Speaker Ryan:

On behalf of the undersigned organizations that collectively represent tens of millions of Americans in higher education and civil society, we write to express our strong opposition to the Border Security and Immigration Reform Act of 2018 (H.R. 6136), which provides only limited protection to DACA-eligible individuals, leaves the majority of DREAMers still in the shadows, and is silent on the administration’s zero tolerance policy.

There are several troubling provisions in H.R. 6136, but we are especially concerned about the following findings:

• It leaves 82% of the estimated 3.6 million DREAMers out of a pathway to citizenship. An analysis from the CATO Institute estimates that, in the best case scenario, the bill includes a pathway to citizenship for fewer than 630,000 DREAMers, which also falls short of President Trump’s promise to help up to 1.8 million DREAMers. Additionally, the one-year filing deadline and the costly estimated $2,225 application fee, inclusive of application and legal costs, pose an unnecessary time constraint and a significant financial burden for applicants, which would ultimately suppress the number of applications.
• It holds DREAMers hostage. The pathway to citizenship is tenuous and uncertain, since it is contingent on a future Congress appropriating money for a $23 billion border wall and security along the southwest border of the United States.
• It does not end the zero tolerance policy. Yesterday, as President Trump signed the executive order entitled “Affording Congress and Opportunity to Address Family Separation” he stated that his administration’s zero-tolerance policy would continue. The bill allocates $7 billion for Department of Homeland Security’s family detention centers. Detaining families for a prolonged period of time is not an acceptable solution. Family separations could still occur because the zero-tolerance policy causes the separations. If a judge sends a parent to jail, his/her child(ren) will be separated.

We urge you to consider legislation that provides DREAMers with a reasonable and fair pathway to citizenship, protects famly unity, prohibits future separations, and ultimately has bipartisan support.

Sincerely,

Antonio R. Flores
President & CEO

Additional organizations signing on to this letter:

American GI Forum of the US
APPA, Leadership in Educational Facilities
ASPIRA Association, Inc.
Association of American Colleges and Universities
Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities
Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities
Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute
Council for Christin Colleges & Universities
Council for Opportunity in Education
Hispanic National Bar Association
Inter-University Program for Latino Research (IUPLR)
League of United Latin American Citizen (LULAC)
MANA, A National Latina Organization
Mi Familia Vota
NAFSA: Association of International Education
NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education
National Association for College Admission Counseling
National Association of Hispanic Federal Executives (NAHFE)
National Association of Hispanic Publications
National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures (NALAC)
National Hispanic Medical Association
National Latina/o Psychological Association
National Migrant Seasonal Head Start Association
Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration
SER-Jobs for Progress National Inc.
UnidosUS (formerly the National Council of La Raza)