Press Releases
08/30/2017
Gov. Malloy and Lt. Gov. Wyman Sign Onto Coalition Of Leaders To Stand With Dreamers Against Deportation
(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Dannel P. Malloy and Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman today announced that they are joining a coalition of leaders from across the country – governors, mayors, city and state elected officials, law enforcement professionals, faith and civic leaders – onto a new “We Are With Dreamers” statement, which calls on President Trump to preserve the successful Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and for Congress to pass a standalone version of the bipartisan Dream Act. To date, over 1,860 leaders have signed onto the statement.
“Since President Obama initiated DACA, thousands of residents have come forward out of the shadows to safely pursue a brighter future,” Governor Malloy said. “To deny undocumented youth who have grown up in America with access to affordable higher education and work opportunities goes against the very core of who we are – it is penny wise and pound foolish. That is why we have long been advocates of doing whatever we can to help hardworking young people succeed, regardless of immigration status. We know that our state stands to benefit from welcoming Dreamers, and their talents, to our communities and our schools. The rollback of DACA would be a disastrous mistake for not only Dreamers – but our entire nation.”
“Like so many Americans, my grandfather came here from somewhere else. He helped build this country and he achieved the American dream – a job, a home, and a community,” Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman said. “It’s our turn now to protect that path for the Dreamers who want to contribute to our nation – those who already call America home. We’ve educated these residents – they and their families contribute to our economy and our communities. It makes no sense – and serves no national security purpose – to separate them from our communities and exile them from the only country they have ever known. Immigrants have made this country stronger. We stand with the Dreamers.”
A full list of national leaders who have signed onto the statement can be found on the coalition’s website.
The following is the full “We Are With Dreamers” statement that the coalition of leaders have signed onto:
“We, the undersigned governors, statewide constitutional officers, mayors, state legislators, local elected officials, businesses, law enforcement professionals, and faith and civic leaders are united in declaring that we are with Dreamers and DACA recipients. We recognize their enormous role in our communities and families and their contributions to our schools, workplaces, and shared prosperity as a nation.
Since June 2012, nearly 800,000 of these young people who came to the United States as children have come forward, passed background checks, and received permission to live and work in America. With DACA, they have advanced their education, started small businesses, and more fully established themselves as integral members of our society.
Ending DACA means all of these young people would be at risk of deportation and separation from their families and our communities; this would be senselessly cruel.
Ending DACA and removing hundreds of thousands of young men and women from our workforce also would cost the country an estimated $460.3 billion in lost Gross Domestic Product over a decade and tens of billions more in lost contributions to Medicare and Social Security, and force businesses to incur $3.4 billion in turnover costs.
In late June, attorneys general from ten states threatened to sue the Trump Administration if it does not end DACA; twice that number wrote to encourage the administration to maintain and defend the initiative. We urge President Trump to sustain his commitment and preserve DACA. We also encourage President Trump and Republicans and Democrats in Congress to enact legislation that replaces fear and uncertainty with permanent protection for Dreamers. The recently introduced stand-alone Dream Act of 2017 would do that and we support it.
As the leaders of communities across the country—individuals and institutions that have seen these young people grow up in our communities—we recognize how they have enriched and strengthened our cities, states, schools, businesses, congregations, and families. We believe it is a moral imperative that the administration and the country know we are with them. We also join together to send our assurances to Dreamers: we see you, we value you, and we are ready to defend you.”
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Office of Lieutenant Governor Nancy Wyman