Scroll Top

Pou Condemns Trump Administration’s Termination of DACA

DSC_0558

TRENTON – Senator Nellie Pou(D-Bergen/Passaic) issued the following statement in response to the Trump Administration’s planned termination of DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, the five-year-long federal program that has succeeded in allowing undocumented young residents who were brought to the United States as minors to stay in the country and work legally:

“The termination of DACA is nothing less than an assault on the American Dream and on the values and principles that define us as Americans. This program has succeeded in allowing young immigrants who came to this country as children to continue to be contributing members of society as our neighbors, co-workers, friends and fellow students. They deserve the same opportunity as their peers so they can do better for themselves and their families in the same way as the generations of Americans that came before them. As one of the most diverse states in the Nation, New Jersey understands the importance of welcoming Dreamers to our state and our country and the value of their contributions.

“Putting an end to DACA is divisive, counter-productive and mean spirited. The six-month timeframe the Trump Administration is delegating to the Republican-controlled Congress produces a looming threat to the 800,000 Americans and the 20,000 New Jersey Dreamers who could be targets of deportation because of a vindictive political agenda. I urge Congress to maintain the protections that are embodied in DACA and to enact them into law.”