San Francisco– Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA) applauds the introduction of H.R. 6, titled Dream and Promise Act, by Congressional House Representatives Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA), Nydia Velazquez (D-NY) and Yvette Clarke (D-NY). The proposed federal legislation would offer a path to permanent residency and provide increased protections for immigrants who are vulnerable to federal immigration enforcement.
If passed, the bill would have a positive impact for an estimated 3.6 million undocumented immigrants who grew up in the United States, many of whom also qualify for the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. More than 300,000 residents who qualify for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and those eligible for Deferred Enforcement Departure (DED) from countries affected by natural disasters and wars would also benefit from the legislation. The proposal will remove barriers that prevent undocumented immigrant youth from accessing educational and career opportunities, increase accountability during deportation proceedings, and provide relief for immigrant families at risk of being targeted by racist and xenophobic policies emanating from the White House.
According to a 2018 study conducted by Professor Tom Wong from UC San Diego, California is home to approximately 433,343 undocumented Asian Pacific Islander (API) immigrants. An estimated 18,230 undocumented API immigrants live in San Francisco.
“Everyday individuals and families with precarious immigration status struggle to access immigration resources and fully exercise their rights as the current federal administration incites fear through heightened enforcement activities,” says Yu-Hui (Amy) Lin, the Immigrant RIghts Program Manager at CAA. “For our Chinese-speaking communities and many of whom are directly impacted by this proposed legislation, H.R. 6 is an opportunity to engage and mobilize support for all immigrants, and to continue building a thriving and safe community together.”
CAA acknowledges that the Dream and Promise Act is the result of leadership from directly impacted immigrant communities, and welcomes its departure from the Trump agenda that scapegoats and criminalizes immigrants.
Recent Gallup polls continue to show that the majority of the American public opposes a border wall and support pathways to citizenship for undocumented young people who grew up in the United States.
“H.R. 6 is a step in the right direction, where federal immigration policies can embody democratic values of inclusion and equity”, says Hong Mei Pang, Director of Advocacy at CAA. Pang continues, “A reasonable path to citizenship, protection of due process, and defending family unity do not have come at the expense of irresponsible federal spending on an unpopular, ineffective, and immoral border wall that terrorizes our communities.”
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Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA) is a community-based civil rights organization in San Francisco. Our mission is to protect the civil and political rights of Chinese Americans and to advance multiracial democracy in the United States. We advocate for systemic change that protects immigrant rights, promotes language diversity, and remedies racial injustice.
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