Ruiz Calls for Senate Passage of the Dream and Promise Act Following President Biden’s Meeting with Dreamers
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36) called for the Senate to pass H.R. 6, the Dream and Promise Act, following President Joe Biden's meeting with DACA recipients. Six Dreamers from across the country sat down with President Biden today, including Leydy Rangel, National Communications Manager for the United Farm Workers, whose hometown is Coachella, California.
The Dream and Promise Act would allow Dreamers and individuals with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) to contribute fully to the country they love and know to be their home by providing a pathway to citizenship. Dr. Ruiz is the Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC).
"Today's White House meeting underscores the crucial need for the Senate to pass the Dream and Promise Act," said Dr. Ruiz. "I am incredibly proud of each Dreamer who met with President Biden today, including United Farm Workers' Leydy Rangel from my hometown of Coachella, California. As Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, I thank President Biden for his commitment to securing a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers."
"Farm workers like my parents and siblings have fought for years to emerge from the shadows," said Leydy Rangel, a Dreamer and the National Communications Manager for the United Farm Workers. "They are essential to our nation—not just during the pandemic—and they deserve to live and work free from the constant terror of deportation and family separation. Without people like my family our fellow Americans would not have fresh fruits and vegetables on their dinner tables. But our story is not unique. Like other essential farm workers my family deserves a pathway to legalization. President Biden is committed to winning this just remedy. Now the U.S. Senate must act. My siblings and I contribute to our country. We are American in every way except on paper."
BACKGROUND
The Dream and Promise Act would provide permanent legal protections for Dreamers, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders, and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) recipients. In total, the bill would provide protections for up to 3.4 million immigrants, many of whom have spent much of their lives in the United States.
On March 18, 2021, Dr. Ruiz presided over the House vote on H.R. 6, the Dream and Promise Act. The bill passed the house with the support of nine Republican lawmakers and now awaits a vote in the Senate.
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