LULAC Responds to SECURE Act

December 6, 2017

Washington, DC – On Tuesday, Senator John Cornyn, joined by Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC), James Lankford (R-OK), Tom Cotton (R-AR), and David Perdue (R-GA), introduced the Security, Enforcement, and Compassion United in Reform Efforts, or SECURE Act.

In response, Roger C. Rocha Jr., LULAC National President, issued the following statement:

“We applaud all members of Congress who are serious about reaching a bipartisan solution to protect DREAMers. While both sides of the aisle have expressed they are open to reasonable border-security measures, it should not be a compromise that is reached at the expense of innocent young people and their families.

The SECURE Act includes provisions from the BRIDGE Act, which only offers a temporary 3-year fix and falls short of providing a pathway to permanent citizenship. The proposed legislation would penalize sanctuary cities, prevent family reunification and encourage increased undocumented immigration by preventing US citizens from sponsoring siblings, adult children and their parents for legal immigration to the United States. The sponsors of the legislation claim that the bill would reduce legal immigration to the US by 50%, splitting families and damaging our economy far into the future. We strongly urge Congress to come together to pass the DREAM Act. While there are currently 800,000 DACA recipients, as many as 3.4 million individuals would qualify to become U.S. citizens under the 2017 version of the Dream Act, and over 1.5 million would eventually obtain a green card.

If we do not pass a permanent solution to this issue, then we will be having this same conversation in two years. We are grateful to Senator Cornyn for allowing our organization the opportunity to join the discussion and provide recommendations. We are confident that with proper and constructive dialogue, Congress can pass legislation that protects all DREAMers. The starting point has begun and we look forward to continued dialogue with members from both sides of the aisle to pass a permanent solution."

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The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is the nation’s largest and oldest civil rights volunteer-based organization that empowers Hispanic Americans and builds strong Latino communities. Headquartered in Washington, DC, with 1,000 councils around the United States and Puerto Rico, LULAC’s programs, services and advocacy address the most important issues for Latinos, meeting critical needs of today and the future. For more information, visit www.LULAC.org.