Fight for DACA

As DNC Chair Tom Perez says, “DREAMers share our values and strengthen our nation. Their courage is American to its core, and they deserve far better from the president of the only country they’ve ever called home.

Democrats believe that diversity and compassion are our nation’s greatest strengths. We believe in fixing our immigration system, not uprooting lives and shattering families. And as Donald Trump and his Republican colleagues try to trample on the American Dream, we will continue to fight for the immigrant families who contribute to our country every day.”

Help support legislation to establish a permanent Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, email your Senators and Representative today:

The 5 must-have elements in your e-mail message (or letter):

(Who are you?) Identify yourself as his/her constituent. (For this issue, identifying yourself as an overseas constituent is unnecessary – unless you have a personal story to share relevant to DACA.)
(What do you want?) Specifically mention you are very concerned about the president’s decision to end DACA and that Congress must now take immediate action.
(Why do you want that?) Support your argument: inform the congressperson that DREAMers are American in every sense of the word—except paperwork; mention the vast military/educational/economic contributions made by DREAMers to our society.
(What do you want me to do about it?) Tell your Member(s) of Congress to immediately PASS legislation supporting DREAMers and allowing them to remain in the country.
(Do you want me to follow up with you?) Request the member of Congress’s written response in his/her e-mail reply.

Step 1: Find out who your U.S. senators are here. Then go to his/her “Contact Me” web page.

Step 2: Choose the appropriate e-mail template below.

Step 3: Copy and paste the template into the congressperson’s text box, modifying it as needed to fit your own words.

Democratic (D) Senator | D Representative | R Senator | R Representative | SC or IL voters

DEMOCRATIC Senator(s) email

Subject: Immigration/DACA

Dear Senator [Name of your U.S. senator],

As your constituent, I am writing to you because I have grave concerns about President Trump’s recent decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

If you will recall, when Republican senators blocked the DREAM Act from passing in 2010, President Obama created the DACA program under executive order. This important program is now under threat from President Trump and some congressional Republicans. These young immigrants, or Dreamers, have come to the U.S. through no fault of their own but have managed to overcome language and culture barriers to become our friends, neighbors, co-workers, and patriotic servicemembers.

For this reason I strongly urge you to co-sponsor S. 1615, the Dream Act. The Dream Act would allow these young people to earn lawful permanent residence and eventually American citizenship if they:

• Are longtime residents who came to the U.S. as children;

• Graduate from high school or obtain a GED;

• Pursue higher education, work lawfully for at least 3 years, or serve in the military;

• Pass security and law enforcement background checks and pay a reasonable application fee;

• Demonstrate proficiency in the English language and a knowledge of United States history; and

• Have not committed a felony or other serious crimes and do not pose a threat to our country.

[If you have a personal DACA story to share, add it here.]

As you and I are both Democrats wanting what’s best for America, I know I can count on you to do the morally right thing and protect these young immigrants from the president’s fantasy of mass human deportation in 6 months’ time.

Thank you for considering my views on this matter. Again, I strongly urge you to SUPPORT S. 1615 or other sensible legislation that gives these young people a fair chance to live the American Dream. I would be happy to discuss this further with you or your staff member handling this issue. I look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

DEMOCRATIC Representative email:

Subject: Immigration/DACA

Dear Representative [Name of your U.S. senator],

As your constituent, I am writing to you because I have grave concerns about President Trump’s recent decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

For this reason I strongly urge you to co-sponsor both H.R. 3440 - the Dream Act, and H.R. 3591 - the American Hope Act. H.R. 3440 and H.R. 3591 would allow these young people to live peacefully in the United States without fear of President Trump’s racist agenda.

[If you have a personal DACA story to share, add it here.]

Thank you for considering my views on this matter. Again, I strongly urge you to SUPPORT H.R. 3440, H.R. 3591, or any other sensible legislation that gives these young people a fair chance to live the American Dream. I would be happy to discuss this further with you or your staff member handling this issue. I look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

REPUBLICAN Senator(s) email

Subject: Immigration/DACA

Dear Senator [Name of your U.S. senator],

As your constituent, I am writing to you because I believe Congress has a golden opportunity to enact true bipartisan legislation in supporting the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

Your colleagues Sens. Graham and Durbin have demonstrated exactly what “working across the aisle” looks like in accomplishing legislative goals in support of American ideals. I urge you to join in this effort by going on public record and co-sponsoring S. 1615, the Dream Act.

The bipartisan Dream Act would allow a select group of immigrant students who grew up in the United States to contribute more fully to the country we all love. These young people, or Dreamers, have lived in America since they were children and have built their lives here. They grew up pledging allegiance to the American flag and singing the Star-Spangled Banner. Thousands of them are now part of our workforce and thousands more are passionate about having the opportunity to serve in our Armed Forces protecting our homeland. They are American in every way except for their immigration status. Our immigration system is far from perfect, but S. 1615 is a step in the right direction of providing relief to Dreamers from unfair deportation.

If you will recall, Congress previously failed to pass the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act in 2010. As polarized as congressional debates have become in recent years, supporting DACA and Dreamers is one thing Americans can agree on. President Trump has passed along this responsibility to you. Your constituents expect results.

[If you have a personal DACA story to share, add it here.]

To reiterate, I strongly support S. 1615 and I hope to see you publicly supporting it, too. I assure you I will continue to closely watch this debate and monitor your actions on this issue.

[If you vote in Alaska, remind Sen. Lisa Murkowski that she voted FOR the DREAM Act previously, and that you hope she continues to do the right thing in supporting S. 1615.]

I respectfully request your reply indicating your stance on DACA.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

REPUBLICAN Representative email:

Subject: Immigration/DACA

Dear Representative [Name of your U.S. senator],

These sensible bills would allow a select group of immigrant students who grew up in the United States to contribute more fully to the country we all love. These young people, or Dreamers, have lived in America since they were children and have built their lives here. They grew up pledging allegiance to the American flag and singing the Star-Spangled Banner. Thousands of them are now part of our workforce and thousands more are passionate about having the opportunity to serve in our Armed Forces protecting our homeland. They are American in every way except for their immigration status. Our immigration system is far from perfect, but H.R. 3440 and H.R. 3591 are a step in the right direction of providing relief to Dreamers from unfair deportation.

[If you have a personal DACA story to share, add it here.]

To reiterate, I strongly support H.R. 3440 and H.R. 3591, and I hope to see you publicly supporting them, too. I assure you I will continue to closely watch this debate and monitor your actions on this issue.

I respectfully request your reply indicating your stance on DACA.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

If You Vote In South Carolina or Illinois, Sen. Graham (SC) or Durbin (IL) email:

Subject: Immigration/DACA

Dear Senator _________:

As your constituent, I write to thank you for your leadership in introducing S. 1615, the Dream Act.

It is an outrage that President Trump has decided to end the DACA program in 6 months’ time. These are real people’s lives he’s playing with, and it is highly discouraging to see the president of the United States flip-flop on his promise to protect Dreamers during his campaign.

I want you to know that I support you in doing whatever it takes to pass the Dream Act. If Senator McConnell refuses to bring this bill up to a vote by the full Senate, please refuse to proceed on any of his agenda items: funding for Trump’s border wall, major tax reform, confirming nominations – anything – until this critical issue is addressed and the lives of young immigrants in our communities are at ease.

[If you have a personal DACA story to share, add it here.]

Again, I applaud your courage in standing up for these people who involuntarily came to the United States as children and have since contributed immensely to our society. Please do all you can to urge your colleagues to co-sponsor and pass the Dream Act before chaos is injected into the lives of nearly 1 million of our neighbors, friends, and co-workers.

Please let me know if there is anything I can do to assist you in your efforts of passing S. 1615, and I look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]