ACTION OPPORTUNITY:
House of Representatives will vote on the Dream and Promise Act on 3/18/21!
Protections are urgently needed for millions of immigrants in the United States today. Several potential laws have been introduced in Congress that could offer meaningful relief to millions. One such bill is HR6, the "American Dream and Promise Act of 2021," which was introduced on March 3, 2021, by Reps. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-Calif.), Nidia Velazquez (D-N.Y.), and Katherine Clark (D-N.Y.), with many co-sponsors, including Congresswoman Cori Bush. This bill provides permanent status to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) holders and others who entered the U.S. as minors, Temporary Status Protection (TPS) holders, and Deferred Enforcement Departure (DED) holders. These are exciting reforms that have been made possible by the tireless organizing led by undocumented communities over the last several years!
Unfortunately, the bill incorporates exclusionary and harmful provisions. We know that the US criminal legal system disproportionately harms Black, Indigenous and people of color, and this bill doesn't change that. At worst, the bill maintains some of the harmful and oppressive practices that we continue to fight against. HR6 preserves current practices of excluding certain individuals from relief if they have had contact with the criminal legal system. Because of this (and despite the racism embedded in that system), many people will be excluded from obtaining legal status under this proposed legislation. Several Representatives have circulated a letter in support of an amendment to HR6 that would remove this unnecessary and harmful language, but at this stage, it seems the language remains despite the opposition.
Like others organizing around this bill, we reject the implicit and explicit criminalization of all communities of color. We know that justice won't come in the form of any one bill or policy, but through the combination of all of them. We are disappointed with the harmful language that may be included in this bill, but nonetheless we believe supporting its passage will bring many individuals and families much needed relief. Some doors may remain shut as they are now, but HR6 would open new ones, too. Amidst this complexity, we amplify calls from some undocumented organizers that HR6 is a step in the right direction, a necessary but insufficient tool. The longer term goal remains to secure permanent protections for all people who are undocumented and abolish the racist immigration system that forces so many individuals and families to live in fear and uncertainty.
Please contact your representative and ensure that they are fighting to have the harmful language (specifically, the "secondary review process") removed from the bill. With humility and continued resolve to pursue equity, inclusion and dignity in all laws, policies and practices, we invite you to contact your members of congress and share your opinions!
Stay tuned for details about another proposed bill, the New Way Forward Act, which, according to the ILRC, would "decriminalize immigration and address injustice and systemic racism in the U.S. immigration system. This bill rolls back harmful immigration laws that result in racial profiling and the disproportionate incarceration, deportation, and destruction of immigrant families and communities of color."