Veasey Introduces Bill to Protect DREAMers

Washington, D.C. – In an effort to protect our nation’s DREAMers in the event of a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program backlog, Congressman Marc Veasey introduced H.R. 6495, the Ensure Access to DACA Act.

Since 2012, 750,000 young people have benefited from the DACA program including over 135,000 bright young Texans. In order for our young DREAMers to remain in the country under the program, DACA recipients must process their request for renewal every two years between 150 days and 120 days before their status expiration. In the event of a DACA processing backlog, a DREAMers employment authorization may be at risk of expiration causing an individual to lose their job. In some cases, the loss of status in the event of a renewal delay can put a DREAMer at risk of deportation.

“Over the past four years our nation’s young immigrants have contributed to our nation’s prosperity and have become a part of our nation’s diverse fabric under the DACA program,” said Congressman Veasey. “That is why my bill would provide a much needed safety net for our nation’s DREAMers should their status renewal be threatened due to matters outside of their control.”

The Ensure Access to DACA Act would provide DACA recipients who timely filed a DACA renewal request with a short-term, interim grant of deferred action and employment authorization when there is a delay in processing the renewal request. Most importantly, the legislation would protect our nations DREAMers in the event of a service disruption or any technical problem that causes adjudications to stop or stall.

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