Caribbean US Congresswoman, Yvette D Clarke, has called for US Congress to pass legislation that would give the Caribbean and other members of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program permanent legal status in the US.
Clarke, who is the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, says that over 750,000 young men and women have made use of the Dreamer program since its creation back in 2012. They have gone to college, began careers, expanded their level of participation in civil society to pursue the American dream, and their stories and invaluable contributions are now part of the nation’s fabric.
But, Clarke says the program is under threat, with recipients having been illegally arrested and detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. She says that Congress must give them permanent legal status in the US and prevent their contributions from being diminished, and their expectations undermined by President Donald Trump. Protections for Dreamers are not under immediate threat from the Trump administration, according to new memos, but White House officials noted on Friday that a decision on the long-term fate of the program has not yet been made by the President.
Trump promised to remove the protections during his 2016 Presidential election campaign and to end the program. But, he has softened his stance since then and the Department of Homeland Security has announced that the program will continue protecting those who came to the US illegally as minors from deportation and granting them work permits.