Dr. Ruiz Announces Bipartisan DACA Agreement

Washington, D.C. – Today, Representative Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36) announced that he is an original co-sponsor of the USA Act, which provides a bipartisan fix to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and boosts border security. The bill was introduced by Democratic Representative Pete Aguilar (CA-31) and Republican Representative Will Hurd (TX-23) and is part of ongoing negotiations in Congress to provide an earned path to citizenship for Dreamers. The Trump administration announced on September 5, 2017 that the DACA program would be terminated on March 5, 2018, leaving 800,000 Dreamers uncertain about their status and potentially subject to deportation.

"Dreamers are hardworking students and young men and women in our military who make incredible contributions to our economy and help keep our nation secure. I have advocated for years for a permanent solution for Dreamers and have been calling for months for a vote on legislation to protect the incredible young people who only know America as their home. That is why I am a co-sponsor of the USA Act, which is the most bipartisan, pragmatic, and viable solution that provides an earned path to citizenship for Dreamers and increases resources for border security technology to keep our nation safe," said Dr. Ruiz. "These goals have widespread support across the country and across the aisle. Congress must act now to put people above partisanship and do the right thing. Republican leaders should bring this bill to the floor for a vote immediately."

"Since the president terminated the DACA program last year, hundreds of thousands of Dreamers have been living in fear with no certainty of what their futures might hold," said Rep. Aguilar. "We've always known that finding a solution to this problem is going to take a real bipartisan effort. I'm grateful that Representative Ruiz was able to join us in that bipartisan effort by cosponsoring the USA Act, and I thank him for his support."

"After multiple attempts to find a solution, it's time to narrow our strategy. Our plan offers a permanent legislative solution for children who came here of no fault of their own – while achieving operational control of the border by 2020," said Rep. Hurd whose district includes over 800 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border, more than any other Member of Congress. "Americans are tired of partisan gridlock. They deserve solutions. This is about Congress doing our job and it proves that R's and D's are willing to work together to unite and secure America."