4 March 2021, Washington, DC – CASA Executive Director Gustavo Torres issued the following statement after last night’s introduction of H.R. 6, the Dream and Promise Act, which protects recipients of the deferred action for childhood arrivals (DACA) program and with temporary protected status (TPS) with a path to citizenship.

“This is a great win for the millions of immigrants and allies who have mobilized for immigrant justice. Fully integrating DACA and TPS holders – who have opened businesses, served in the US military, studied and gone to college, bought homes, and started families in the US – underscores that this country recognizes that they indeed belong here. It erases the fabricated crisis that former President Trump created and celebrates them and their tremendous contributions. Democrats must serve as leaders for immigrant families, urging their colleagues in Congress to pass the Dream and Promise Act.”

The original H.R. 6, passed in the 116th Congress at a time when Republicans controlled the Senate and White House, included harsh enforcement provisions that CASA will continue to advocate to remove.

Media can interview DACA and TPS holders who are CASA Members in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Please reach out to Jossie Flor Sapunar at 240-706-2624, [email protected], or Jenna DeFosse at 301-717-4492, [email protected].

• Maryland has 22,500 TPS holders and 7,870 DACA recipients.
• Pennsylvania: 2,500 TPS holders and 4,480 DACA recipients.
• Virginia: 23,500 TPS holders and 9,410 DACA recipients.

During COVID, TPS and DACA recipients in MD, PA, and VA have kept nursing homes running, grocery stores open, and construction sites bustling.

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