OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Letter to President Donald J. Trump - Defense of DACA Program

Letter

By: Jared Huffman, Ami Bera, Nancy Pelosi, Eric Swalwell, Raul Grijalva, Ruben Gallego, Doris Matsui, Mark DeSaulnier, Jackie Speier, Ro Khanna, Jimmy Panetta, Judy Chu, Brad Sherman, Ted Lieu, Karen Bass, Tom O'Halleran, Mike Thompson, Jerry McNerney, Barbara Lee, Jim Costa, Zoe Lofgren, Julia Brownley, Tony Cárdenas, Grace Napolitano, Norma Torres, Lucille Roybal-Allard, Lou Correa, Anna Eshoo, Salud Carbajal, Adam Schiff, Pete Aguilar, Jimmy Gomez, Linda Sánchez, Nanette Barragán, Juan Vargas, Diana DeGette, John Larson, Eleanor Norton, Val Demings, Alcee Hastings, Sr., Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Tulsi Gabbard, Mike Quigley, Brad Schneider, John Yarmuth, Niki Tsongas, Seth Moulton, John Sarbanes, Elijah Cummings, Sandy Levin, Tim Walz, Lacy Clay, Jr., Alma Adams, Joshua Gottheimer, Bill Pascrell, Jr., Michelle Lujan Grisham, Jacky Rosen, Grace Meng, Yvette Clarke, Adriano Espaillat, Eliot Engel, Paul Tonko, Marcia Fudge, Earl Blumenauer, Dwight Evans, David Cicilline, Jim Cooper, Vicente Gonzalez, Joaquin Castro, Marc Veasey, Bobby Scott, Peter Welch, Derek Kilmer, Denny Heck, Mark Takano, Alan Lowenthal, Susan Davis, Ed Perlmutter, Rosa DeLauro, Darren Soto, Kathy Castor, Ted Deutch, Colleen Hanabusa, Luis Gutiérrez, Jan Schakowsky, André Carson, Jim McGovern, Katherine Clark, Bill Keating, Steny Hoyer, Chellie Pingree, John Conyers, Jr., Keith Ellison, David Price, Donald Norcross, Albio Sires, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Dina Titus, Gregory Meeks, Hakeem Jeffries, Carolyn Maloney, José Serrano, Sean Maloney, Marcy Kaptur, Suzanne Bonamici, Kurt Schrader, Matt Cartwright, Jim Clyburn, Al Green, Sheila Jackson Lee, Eddie Johnson, Lloyd Doggett II, Don Beyer, Jr., Rick Larsen, Adam Smith, Gwen Moore, Scott Peters, Jared Polis, Joe Courtney, Stephanie Murphy, Charlie Crist, Jr., Lois Frankel, Sanford Bishop, Jr., Dan Lipinski, Danny Davis, Bill Foster, Cedric Richmond, Joe Kennedy III, Mike Capuano, Anthony Brown, Jamie Raskin, Debbie Dingell, Betty McCollum, Kilili Sablan, Annie Kuster, Frank Pallone, Jr., Don Payne, Jr., Ben Luján, Jr., Ruben Kihuen, Nydia Velázquez, Jerry Nadler, Joe Crowley, Nita Lowey, Louise Slaughter, Tim Ryan, Peter DeFazio, Brendan Boyle, Jim Langevin, Steve Cohen, Beto O'Rourke, Gene Green, Filemon Vela, Jr., Donald McEachin, Suzan DelBene, Pramila Jayapal, Mark Pocan
Date: Aug. 1, 2017
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Minors and Children Immigration

Dear Mr. President:

We respectfully request that you continue Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and engage in a vigorous legal defense of DACA in light of the renewed threat of litigation. Along with continuing to accept requests for DACA, we ask that you direct your administration to: (a) oppose any efforts to challenge DACA in the ongoing Texas v. United States litigation;' (b) ask the court to dismiss the complaint in United States v. Texas; and (c) refuse any settlement that would end DACA.

On June 29, the Texas Attorney General, along with nine other attorney generals, in an attempt to usurp your authority, delivered to you an ultimatum threatening a legal challenge to DACA unless you ended the program by September 5, 2017. DOJ has already made problematic decisions in choosing not to oppose Texas' request to stay the proceedings.2 We are further disturbed by Secretary Kelly's comments that he does not believe DACA is legally or constitutionally defensible.3 Finally, we are concerned that Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who has historically opposed DACA, is now trying to abrogate your authority and set the Administration's immigration policies, when, ultimately, you hold that authority. You have stated, you "understand the situation very well" and that the future of DACA is "a decision that [you] make," not your subordinates.4 Furthermore, as you are aware, there is substantial legal support for the constitutionality of DACA.5 We commend your Administration's continuation of DACA and encourage you to keep DACA in place until Congress enacts a permanent legislative solution for this population.

As you know, over 787,000 individuals currently possess a grant of DACA, all of whom were thoroughly vetted for national security and criminal backgrounds.6 Ending DACA would increase the nation's undocumented population, profoundly and negatively impact our nation's economy, contracting the nation's GDP by $ 460.3 billion. 7Additionally, this reduces federal tax contributions to Social Security and Medicare by $24.6 billion over a decade, and costs businesses $3.4 billion in unnecessary turnover costs.8

Ultimately, you set the government's immigration policy, including your Administration's position in regards to DACA. We urge you to respond to Texas's threat to your executive authority by directing the Attorney General to use all legal options to defend DACA and ensure that nearly one million DREAMers continue to contribute to our nation.

Thank you for your time and consideration. We look forward to your response.

Sincerely


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