Pascrell Celebrates DACA Decision

Press Release

U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09) today praised the U.S. Supreme Court's 5-to-4 holding this morning blocking Donald Trump's cruel attempts to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy and forcibly deport over 700,000 Dreamers.

"This beautiful decision, at long last, halts Trump's cruelty and removes the cloud of fear and uncertainty placed above the heads of our Dreamers," said Rep. Pascrell, a longtime supporter of the DREAM Act. "If not for this decision, thousands of bright New Jerseyans faced expulsion from this country through no fault of their own. This ruling should not have been this close and should not have taken this long. For years, we have banged our hands on the table demanding permanent relief to Dreamers only to be stymied by Donald Trump and Republicans. Rooted in the kindness and charity of the American ideal, today's holding prevents Trump from gutting the promise we made to these young people and allows them to stay in the only country they've ever known. The Senate must now pass the DREAM ACT ratified by the House over a year ago. Our Dreamers have waited long enough."

For years, Rep. Pascrell has been one of Congress' most prominent voices in demanding that Republican leadership allow a vote on the DREAM Act. In May 2018, Pascrell signed a bipartisan discharge petition to force a vote to protect America's Dreamers. Two months prior to that, he excoriated continued Republican inaction on the legislation. A fierce opponent of Donald Trump's inhumane immigration policies, Pascrell made a surprise visit in June 2018 to the ICE Detention Center in Elizabeth, NJ to visit with separated families and observe conditions within the facility.

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