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The Progressive

NewsWire

A project of Common Dreams

For Immediate Release
The New York Immigration Coalition
Contact:

press@nyic.org

The NYIC Slams Trump For Signing Omnibus Spending Bill; Bill Omits Dreamers + Funds Border Wall

On Friday, President Trump signed the omnibus spending bill, which did not include a DREAM Act, but includes $1.6 billion for the border wall, funding for 40,500 detention beds, and funding to hire 65 DHS investigation agents, 100 immigration judges and 60 ICE attorneys. In response, Steven Choi, Executive Director of the New York Immigration Coalition, issued the following statement:

NEW YORK, NY

On Friday, President Trump signed the omnibus spending bill, which did not include a DREAM Act, but includes $1.6 billion for the border wall, funding for 40,500 detention beds, and funding to hire 65 DHS investigation agents, 100 immigration judges and 60 ICE attorneys. In response, Steven Choi, Executive Director of the New York Immigration Coalition, issued the following statement:

"This budget is a punch in the gut to all immigrants. Trump and Congress are congratulating themselves on a budget that funds Trump's absurd campaign promise, fuels the deportation machine, criminalizes immigrants, and neglects the 800,000 hardworking Dreamers still stuck in limbo. America will not be greater or safer by undermining our immigrant communities. We need Congress to do its job and put a clean DREAM Act on the table."

Background

Six months ago, President Trump rescinded the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), and designated March 5th, 2018 to begin phasing out the program. Since then more than 15,000 individuals have lost their DACA status at a rate of 122 people per day.

Then on Monday, February 26th, the Supreme Court of the United States rejected the Trump administration's petition to bypass the usual Court of Appeals process, maintaining the current district court injunction to continue to accept renewal applications for DACA. The district court injunction allows anyone who has DACA at any time to either renew or re-apply to the program. The injunction is not a permanent solution and should not deter efforts to pass a clean DREAM Act.

Over fifty percent of DACA recipients under the age of 25 are on track to receive a bachelor's degree, and in total, over ninety percent of DACA recipients are employed. In the next 10 years, the country stands to lose $460.3 billion in GDP if DACA is ended without a legislative solution. In New York alone, there are 115,000 Dream Act-eligible individuals in the workforce who would add a projected $1.75 billion to the state GDP annually over ten years.

The NYIC urges everyone with DACA or other immigration legal concerns to consult an attorney and send in materials via mail with a method that is trackable. Individuals can get a legal consultation by calling the Office of New Americans (ONA) hotline, 1-800-566-7636.

The New York Immigration Coalition aims to achieve a fairer and more just society that values the contributions of immigrants and extends opportunity to all. The NYIC promotes immigrants' full civic participation, fosters their leadership, and provides a unified voice and a vehicle for collective action for New York's diverse immigrant communities.