Washington, DC—U.S. Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) released the following statement in response to the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) ruling to make DACA permanent:

“In my home state of Texas over 120,640 young people, who have known no other country, have benefited from the DACA program. Of those, over 104,959 are working and contributing over $6 billion to the annual GDP. The DHS announcement ensures that none of these young people have to worry from administration to administration. This is the federal government’s message that we value their contributions to American society and view Dreamers as our own,” said Congressman Cuellar, vice-chair of the House Appropriations subcommittee on Homeland Security that funds the DHS. “This decision is a step forward for Texas and a step forward for our country. While it does not address wider immigration challenges, it promotes decisive action for immigration reform. The House has passed the Dream and Promise Act, legislation that I cosponsored, twice. I now call on my colleagues in the Senate to secure a permanent pathway to citizenship for all DREAMers—to end the constant state of uncertainty that these vital members of our society live in every day. In addition, we need a bipartisan comprehensive immigration approach to solve the challenges at our border. I call on my friends and colleagues—in both parties—to acknowledge the challenges at the border and work together to create comprehensive, effective legislation addressing these challenges.”

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