McGuire, Huffman decry decision to end DACA program

September 05, 2017

Local representatives, state Sen. Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg) and Rep. Jared Huffman (D–San Rafael), released separate statements Tuesday decrying President Donald J. Trump’s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, a policy that has shielded undocumented young adults who were brought to the United States as children.

“President Trump’s decision to terminate the DACA program is a cruel, broken promise that will harm hundreds of thousands of young immigrants who were brought here as children and have lived as Americans for their entire lives,” Huffman wrote. “When Trump promised to spare DREAMers from his unforgiving deportation plans, he was, yet again, blowing hot air. This is not just another broken Donald Trump promise, it’s a violation of the core values that America and our communities are built on.”

“The young people who are at the heart of President Trump’s decision today have done nothing wrong,” McGuire wrote. “In many cases, America is the only home they have ever known and it is the country that they love. Dreamers are serving in our military and rescuing flood victims in Houston. They are small business owners and make California one of the most successful states in America.

“Diversity is who we are in California,” McGuire continued. “It’s what makes this state strong and our economy thrive. That is why California will stand with the 200,000 young people who are Dreamers in the Golden State and defend their rights and fight this cruel decision.”

“Congress must now act to give the DREAMers a chance to earn their way to citizenship and stay in the country that they call home,” Huffman continued. “This is a test for the leadership of the House and Senate: will we just hear empty expressions of concern, or will they actually take a stand and work with us to immediately bring the American Hope Act of 2017 to a vote, to protect these deserving young people from Donald Trump and set them on a path to earned citizenship. Congress needs to act now to fix our broken immigration system.”