U.S. Reps. Carlos Curbelo (R-FL), Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) and Leonard Lance (R-NJ) called on Tuesday for legislation to be brought to the House floor to give certain immigrants brought into the country illegally as children options to earn legal status.
The Trump administration announced this week it would end the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which gives work permits to undocumented immigrants who qualify. Congress has until March to act on the issue before the program is eliminated.
The Recognizing America’s Children (RAC) Act, which Curbelo introduced in March, outlines three paths for children who were brought into the country to apply for five-year conditional legal status. After being vetted by the Department of Homeland Security, applicants could earn legal status through pursuit of higher education, service in the armed forces or work authorization.
“Over the years, immigrant children have arrived in our country — brought by their parents who either crossed one of our borders or overstayed their visas,” Curbelo said. “For most of these young people, the United States is the only country they have ever called home. These children have attended school with our own children, worship at our churches, and grow up seeking to serve in our military, pursue a degree in higher learning, or contribute to our workforce and economy.”
Under RAC, childhood arrivals, also known as dreamers, would be eligible to reapply for additional five-year terms of conditional legal status after each five-year term lapses.
“These are America’s children and they should not have to live in constant fear of being deported to their parents’ homeland, a place many of them have no connection to or memories of living in,” Curbelo said. “The Recognizing America’s Children Act I introduced earlier this year would not only give peace of mind to hundreds of thousands across the country but also help grow our economy and create new jobs.”
Kinzinger said he cosponsored RAC because America is “a nation of laws,” and it’s the sole responsibility of Congress to draft and pass legislation.
“President Obama bypassed Congress when he originally created the program, but in so doing, he offered a pathway for these individuals to get right with the law,” Kinzinger said. “In 2015, I voted to support DACA because I believe these children, who only know America to be their home, deserve an opportunity to be here legally. With that said, Congress now has an opportunity to act on immigration reform and we have the support here to do it.”
Kinzinger voiced hope that RAC could be enacted “sooner rather than later” to provide a permanent legislative alternative to the DACA program.
Lance agreed that Obama exceeded his constitutional authority in enacting the DACA program through executive order in voicing support for RAC to be brought to the House floor.
“… I am cosponsoring legislation that would provide a workable, permanent legislative solution for those individuals who entered our country unlawfully as children with their undocumented parents,” Lance said.
“Over the coming weeks I intend to work closely with my colleagues and the administration to pass meaningful immigration reforms that will secure our borders, strengthen employment verification and provide a workable path for ‘dreamers’ with DACA status,” Lance added.