Quigley Statement on President Trump's Decision to End DACA

Statement

Today, U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05) released the following statement in response to President Trump decision to eliminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program:

"Today, the President has once again proven that his policy towards immigrants is rooted solely in prejudice. Ending DACA is unnecessary and unjustifiable, with over 800,000 DREAMers living in America and contributing to its growth and success. These immigrants came here as young children in search of the values and ideals our nation was founded upon -- life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Like all people living in this great country, DREAMers are striving to obtain their own American Dream.

"In addition to not caring about the reprehensible moral consequences of subjecting DREAMers to possible deportation, he is also ignoring the devastating economic impact his decision will have. Despite promises to grow the economy, repealing DACA would reduce our national GDP by $433 billion over the next ten years.

"Through this decision, Trump has made it clear that he is not a president for everyone and will continue to prioritize pandering to his base instead of representing the diverse population that makes America great. Additionally, it is no surprise that he recently took to Twitter to shift responsibility for execution of his plan to Congress; and until legislation moves forward, Democrats will hold Republican leadership accountable. We must embrace and elevate our American values, and that starts with protecting the most vulnerable amongst us."

Rep. Quigley is a strong champion of DACA and an ardent supporter of the need to pass comprehensive immigration reform. Last week, he met with five DREAMers from his district to hear their stories, ambitions, and fears surrounding DACA repeal. In March, Rep. Quigley spoke on the House Floor condemning President Trump for baselessly blaming undocumented immigrants for gun violence in Chicago. Earlier this year, he introduced two pieces of immigration-focused legislation to protect sanctuary cities from having their federal funds withheld and to improve relationships between local law enforcement and immigrants.

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