Several mayors from Oregon cities and from cities across the nation have signed a letter to call on Congress to take immediate action that provides permanent protection from deportation and a path to citizenship for all so-called "Dreamers" who have lived in America since they were children and are building their lives here in the only country many of them have ever known. "Dreamers" is a term used to describe children of illegal aliens who were brought to this country as minors.

Beaverton Mayor Lacey Beaty , Hillsboro Mayor Steve Callaway, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, and Tigard Mayor Jason B. Snider, are the only Oregon mayors to sign on to the letter, which was sent out on letterhead from the United States Conference of Mayors.

Following the recent Texas U.S. District Court decision that struck down the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program -- known as DACA -- signatory mayors have pledged to work with Congress to implement a permanent solution for DACA recipients and their families.

In the letter addressed to Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, mayors wrote, in part: “...it is even more urgent than ever that Congress act quickly to provide permanent protection from deportation and a path to citizenship for all Dreamers – people who have lived in America since they were children and built their lives here. As Democrats, Republicans, and Independents, we write on behalf of all the nation’s mayors to urge you to take whatever action is necessary and possible immediately to accomplish this. We pledge to work with you in this effort to help you make this happen. The United States Conference of Mayors has had strong policy supporting a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers and extension of the DACA program for many years. Our bipartisan organization has adopted this policy because it is the right thing to do – for Dreamers, for our communities, and for our country.”

Following the release of the letter, Mayor Beaty of Beaverton issued the following statement:

“It is important that Congress hear from mayors across the nation about the urgency of taking immediate action to protect Dreamers. Dreamers are an important part of our community, and they are Beaverton residents just like the rest of us. The recent U.S. District Court ruling undermines the integrity of DACA protections and has thousands of young people living in fear of deportation and uncertainty about their livelihood. The time is now to advance policies that support a path to permanent citizenship for all Dreamers so that they can study, work and build families in our cities without fear.”

179 mayors signed the letter, which states, in part:

"The cultural, economic, and social contributions of the more than 800,000 DACA recipients and their families to our cities cannot be overstated; particularly during a global pandemic where over 200,000 DACA recipients are working in essential roles, including 27,000 in health care positions. Each year, DACA recipients and their households pay $5.6 billion in federal taxes and $3.1 billion in state and local taxes on top of their payroll tax contributions to Social Security and Medicare. After taxes, DACA recipients and their households have a combined $24 billion in spending power to put back into their communities."

--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2021-08-15 11:27:29

Last Update: 2021-08-15 12:09:17