President Joe Biden has issued a statement of support for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, hitting Republicans in an election year as his administration formalizes the 10-year-old initiative.
“Dreamers are part of the fabric of this nation,” Biden’s statement reads. “They serve on the frontlines of the pandemic response. They are students, entrepreneurs, and small business owners. Many serve bravely in our military. They’ve only ever known America as their home.”
“I will do everything within my power to protect Dreamers, but Congressional Republicans should stop blocking a bill that provides a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers,” he said. “It is not only the right thing to do, it is also the smart thing to do for our economy and our communities.”
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The statement comes as Democrats see slipping support among Hispanics, a key constituency they’ll want to keep in their camp as the midterm elections approach.
“Ten years ago, I stood by President Obama as he announced one of our proudest accomplishments — creating the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA,” Biden said. “The program has transformed the lives of hundreds of thousands of young Dreamers by allowing them to live here and contribute their talents to this great country without fear of removal. Today, we are fulfilling our commitment to preserve and strengthen DACA by finalizing a rule that will reinforce protections, like work authorization, that allow Dreamers to live more freely and to invest in their communities more fully.”
The DACA program has allowed more than half a million illegal immigrants who entered the United States as children to live in the country legally. Some 611,270 immigrants were enrolled in the program as of March, according to CBS News.
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The Biden administration filed a rule Wednesday to transform the policy into a federal regulation. DACA was previously governed by a 2012 memo created by the Obama administration.
