BPC’s Brown: After House Vote, Senate Bipartisanship Crucial on DREAMers and TPS

The following is a statement from Theresa Cardinal Brown, director of immigration and cross-border policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center, on today’s House vote to approve protections for DREAMers and TPS holders:

“Today’s vote to offer protections to DREAMers and TPS holders is real progress on what has been a stagnant and difficult issue. Millions of people, most of whom have lived in the United States for decades, have been waiting in limbo because of a political stalemate. This uncertainty is unfair and unnecessary.

“Lawmakers have been wrestling with whether and how to protect DREAMers for years, a solution always seemingly just out of reach. While some are content to let the courts settle this question in place of Congress, a far better approach is for Congress to step up and provide certainty about the future to DREAMers and TPS holders. Congress has the responsibility to make policy, not the courts, and it’s far past time for a solution.

“As this issue moves to the Senate, we hope to see bipartisan engagement. A durable long-term solution will require buy-in from both sides. I urge lawmakers to act swiftly and resolve this longstanding question.”

Theresa Cardinal Brown is available for comment.