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On this Independence Day, we will gather (finally!) with friends and family to celebrate our country and what it means to be American. But what that actually means continues to be the source of much debate.

Some who have pledged to make America great again desire to take the country back to a time before many nonwhite immigrants had arrived (and before African Americans, women and members of the LGBTQ community had gained any power or influence). Their definition of American is narrow, defensive and exclusive.

Weve been here before. Xenophobia our fear and hatred of foreigners is as American as apple pie. And across the centuries, self-proclaimed patriotic citizens have blamed immigrants for all that is wrong in America all that is un-American while proclaiming their version of America and American to be the truest.

In the 1850s, anti-immigrant activists formed a new political party devoted to curbing the rights and influence of Catholic immigrants and naturalized citizens. They called themselves the American Party and promoted a new definition of Americanness that named white Anglo-Saxon Protestant settlers as the true natives of the United States. Americans must rule America was one of their slogans. By the early 1900s, some of Americas most influential thinkers and politicians were increasingly defining Americanism through the lens of white supremacy.

In 1925, eugenicist Madison Grant reported that an influx of foreigners would submerge U.S.-born white Americans and rallied others to his cause with the cry America for the Americans. The Ku Klux Klan fanned fears, claiming to speak for all true Americans when it condemned the flood of foreigners entering the country and pushing the native-born aside. Those (white) immigrants who continued to be allowed into the United States were exhorted to fully assimilate, abandon any loyalty to former homelands and reject hyphenated identities, as former President Theodore Roosevelt urged in 1916.

A century later, Americans elected a new president, Donald Trump, who labeled Mexicans rapists and criminals, who pledged to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and who called for a complete and total shutdown of Muslims entering the United States. He spent his term working to achieve these goals and more.

Then came the COVID-19 pandemic. Chinese people and those assumed to be Chinese or Asian were blamed for the coronavirus, most notably by Trump. Thousands of Asian Americans have reported being yelled at, spit upon, harassed and physically attacked. Some have been killed.

In March 2020, the Trump administration began treating immigration as a public health threat, closing U.S. borders and drastically restricting immigration. The country became gripped by a second epidemic: one of fear, xenophobia and racism.

During the pandemic, the administration halted the entry of almost every type of immigrant seeking to settle here and imposed the most sweeping immigration restrictions in American history. As a presidential candidate, Joe Biden pledged to end the unrelenting assault on our values and our history as a nation of immigrants and instead implement a fair and humane immigration system. But the backlash has been fierce, and immigration reform efforts have stalled.

We are at an inflection point. After the departure of Trump, his xenophobia and racism continue to shape how we understand both immigration and what it means to be American. How do we challenge this worldview?

One way is to recognize that because xenophobia is an inextricable part of systemic racism in the U.S., it must be fought alongside racism. We need to examine and protest the unequal treatment of immigrants as part of this structure. We must counter the narratives that identify immigration as a threat with facts: COVID-19 is not the Chinese virus. Immigrants are essential workers, constituting 17% of the civilian labor force. About two-thirds of Americans say that immigrants strengthen the country.

Another way to change the immigration narrative is to focus on real people and real stories. Better yet, give immigrants the power and the means to tell their own stories themselves.

The Immigration History Research Center at the University of Minnesota has done exactly this. The 375 stories weve collected through our interactive digital storytelling website, created with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, will preserve for future generations what it means to be American.

For Arminda Rodriguez, becoming American meant sacrificing all that she knew and loved to help the next generation. She was an immigrant without papers when she gave birth to her daughter Rubi in Brownsville, Texas. Then came years of hard work supporting Rubi and her siblings. Now a college student in Texas, Rubi recognizes how much her mother gave up to give her a better life: Thanks to my mothers sacrifice, I was able to be raised in the United States and get an education here. I appreciate her more than ever.

Thiago Heilman came to the U.S. as a child from Brazil and felt fully American even as he lived in the shadows as an undocumented immigrant. After President Obama established the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program for people brought here as children, Heilman was finally able to get a work permit and is now a writer living and working in New York City.

It took a while, but my American dream is finally coming true, he says. Many things that natural-born citizens take for granted are finally happening to me. Im enjoying this freedom every day.

Oballa Oballas American story is about giving back to his adopted country. After he and his family survived a genocidal attack against their tribe in Ethiopia, they trekked on foot to South Sudan and waited for 10 years in a Kenyan refugee camp before they were finally admitted into the U.S. in 2013. Now hes a health unit coordinator and recently became the first Black elected official in his town, Austin, Minn., where Spam is made. His story, he believes, can give hope to refugees who think the American dream is dead. He insists that in America, if you come with a big dream, you can make your dream come true.

These immigrant stories show that we have more in common with one another than the divisive rhetoric about immigration would have us believe. We each want safety, freedom, opportunity. We want to honor our cultural heritage while also becoming American. Xenophobia is not just about immigrants. It is also about who has the power to define what it means to be American, who gets to enjoy the privileges of American citizenship and who does not.

If we learn anything from the converging public health, social, political and economic crises of 2020, it may be the knowledge that we can no longer function divided as we currently are. We are and always have been dependent upon one another. If we are to survive and thrive, we need to commit ourselves to building a future that is not about us versus them, but we.

Erika Lee is a professor of history and Asian American studies at the University of Minnesota. She is the author, most recently, of America for Americans: A History of Xenophobia in the United States.

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Second Opinion: What does it mean to be American? Ask an immigrant - Los Angeles Times

WASHINGTON, July 7, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In his continuing effort to sabotage all U.S. immigration and entry controls, Alejandro Mayorkas is not only in dereliction of his duty to the American people, but his actions are sending the Biden administration's approval ratings in a tailspin through the inept maladministration of his responsibilities as Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), according to the Washington-based Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR).

According to FAIR, it would be impossible to name one policy adopted since Mayorkas that increases the likelihood cartels will not operate, illegal immigration will be discouraged, or any alien in or out of the country will be encouraged to comply with the immigration law as Congress designed it.

"Mayorkas has been the biggest disaster for border security and immigration controls in the history of the country," says Dan Stein, President of FAIR. "He believes he can just use short cuts and games to twist and contort immigration law to suit a pre-conceived agenda. In doing so," says Stein, "he's made a mockery of our immigration laws and borders."

In particular, says FAIR, Mayorkas has:

"Mayorkas is imperiling the health and security of the American people precisely the antithesis of the mission of the department he leads, while at the same time quickly sinking this Administration's political prospects. To simultaneously push a mass amnesty bill during the Biden immigration enforcement collapse is a legendary violation of public trust," Stein concluded.

Contact: Matthew Tragesser, 202-328-7004 or [emailprotected]

ABOUT FAIR

Founded in 1979, FAIR is the country's largest immigration reform group. With over 3 million members and supporters nationwide, FAIR fights for immigration policies that serve national interests, not special interests. FAIR believes that immigration reform must enhance national security, improve the economy, protect jobs, preserve our environment, and establish a rule of law that is recognized and enforced.

SOURCE Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR)

http://www.fairus.org

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Mayorkas is Killing the Biden Administration's Political Prospects, Says FAIR - PRNewswire

Immigration courts in New York City are open once again for the first time since the start of the pandemic.

During the past year, some remote hearings took place, but only for people who were in detention. Now, non-detained people can have their day in immigration court at Broadway, Varick or Federal Plaza.

My wife is inside and were waiting for the good news, said Ismail Hossein, a Bangladeshi American who was standing outside Federal Plaza immigration court with his young daughter. We applied for that last June, now its July so its been more than a year.

Hosseins wait hasnt been that long, however, according to data compiled and analyzed by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) at Syracuse University. TRAC found that, on average, people in New York state have been waiting 1,002 days for their cases to be called, which is above the national average of 938 days. This number has only continued to rise, with the average waiting time for an immigration case being 863 days, in 2020 and 696, in 2021.

For those people who have to wait for years, and years to have their cases decided, it essentially means theyre living their lives in limbo, Austin Kocher, an assistant professor at TRAC, told Gothamist/WNYC. It delays really basic things like being able to buy a house, getting involved in your kids school, and it really forces people to make all kinds of really challenging decisions.

This has been further exacerbated by the backlog of pending immigration cases, a longstanding issue that has also taken a backseat to the pandemic. In 2021 alone there are over 1.3 million pending cases across the country, with nearly 150 thousand in New York - making it the state with the third largest number of pending immigration cases, behind only Texas and California. While cases first started to mount in 2009, Kocher points to the Trump administration as a catalyst causing the system to become increasingly overwhelmed.

It was really only under the Trump administration that that number has skyrocketed so much more, Kocher said, noting the rise from 500-thousand cases to 1.3 million in the last few years. But now its continued to grow and there doesnt really seem to be a clear solution other than substantial immigration reform.

Under current law, immigration courts fall under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, with judges hired by the sitting attorney general. So when Biden-appointee Merrick Garland announced in May that the courts would reopen on July 6th, the backlog landed on the desks of an estimated 500 immigration judges nationwide.

Individuals that have waited to have their day in court, if their cases are reset, may have to go to the end of our dockets, Judge Amiena Khan, president of the National Association of Immigration Judges, told Gothamist/WNYC. For many judges in the New York courts, that could mean all the way out to December 2023.

Some advocacy groups have pointed to a recent memorandum from the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor to the immigration courts, which followed an executive order from President Joe Biden and aims to address the backlog. And while advocates believe it will help in some situations, they say it is not a long-term solution.

There are still decisions in place which impede immigration judges ability to manage their own dockets, Evangeline Chan, director of the Immigration Law Project at Safe Horizon, an NYC-based victims services organization, told us. We remain concerned about the balancing of due process and the courts need for expediency.

Chan highlighted one case of a client that has been adjourned by the court six times over the last four years. Judge Khan agrees that this is an issue to be addressed, not just in New York City, but on the national level as well.

The judges recognize the tasks that are before us, Judge Khan said. And as immigration judges, we will do as we have always done: rise to the occasion to work to better the process and the system.

Joseph Gedeon reported this story for the Gothamist/WNYCs Race & Justice Unit. If you have a tip, some data, or a story idea, email him at jgedeon@wnyc.org or reach out on Twitter @JGedeon1.

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City's Immigration Courts Reopen After More Than A Year Of Being Shut Down To All But Most Urgent Cases - Gothamist

Texas has felt the impact of the crisis at the southern border more acutely than any other state.

Every two to three years, the number of migrants at our border cycles up again, and, each time, Washington fails to implement policies that would help us better manage migration. As Texans, this is frustrating. Our communities bear the burdens of Washingtons inability to make progress on immigration reform and border policy. But we also understand how essential immigration is to Texas continued growth and prosperity.

I believe Texas has a unique role to play in showing the rest of the country how important it is to both uphold our laws and welcome immigrants. Texas should cooperate with federal law enforcement on the border. More importantly, we should lean in where we really shine: welcoming immigrants and helping them become Americans.

We all know that immigration policy is handled by the federal government and not the states. So Texans cant directly make the changes that are so urgently needed to fix the problem in our backyard such as addressing the root causes of migration from Central America and reforming our laws to build a more robust legal system.

What we and other border states can do is play a unique role in shaping decisions, working with the federal government so that policies reflect the daily reality of residents whose lives exist on both sides of the border. And we can use our voices to show the rest of the United States the benefits of immigration.

As former first lady Laura Bush said in 2019, Were a state that thrives due to the prosperity, ingenuity, transformation and generosity of immigrants. And we are a much richer state for all the cultures that have settled on our land.

Texas is the second-most-diverse state in the nation, with a dynamic culture and a deep-rooted history. One in every six Texans is an immigrant, and more than 107,000 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients call the state home. Immigrants are the powerhouse of our states economy, comprising 22 percent of our labor force and keeping essential industries like manufacturing and health care moving forward throughout the pandemic and during our recovery.

In 2019, immigrants paid more than $40 billion in taxes, and nearly 390,000 embarked on entrepreneurial ventures. Our strength lies in our shared identity and ability to speak to the real-world benefits that immigrants bring.

Without the border, millions of dollars worth of commerce, travel and trade would be lost, not to mention the cultural hit our great state would take.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas found that a 10 percent increase in manufacturing on the Mexican side of the border has a ripple effect for Texas border towns, increasing employment by 2.8 percent in El Paso, 4.6 percent in Laredo, and 6.6 percent in McAllen. Our location along the longest stretch of the southwestern border has improved our comparative advantage in industries like manufacturing and energy, while giving us a boost in the automotive sector.

Texans benefit from immigration every single day. The relationship is symbiotic: By continuing the tradition of welcoming people from around the world, we help ourselves. The immigrants who arrive here dont only become Americans, they become true Texans.

Its on us to change the narrative about what it means to be a border state. The southwestern border is an opportunity, not a burden or a threat.

By embracing policies that cultivate a streamlined, flexible and humanitarian approach to the border rather than ones that sow fear, we can teach the rest of the country that it is one of our greatest assets.

Texans should vocalize our support for policies that work with our neighbors to improve regional security, expand legal immigration channels and in-region processing, and improve asylum processing. Additionally, we need to advocate for the expansion of legal pathways to work to ensure our economic vitality.

Our 1,200 miles of border is one of our strengths. Immigrants work with us to boost our livelihood, economy and culture.

While a secure border should remain a priority, Texas should maintain its welcoming reputation. Immigrants are essential to our prosperity. Without them, there is no Lone Star state.

Collins is the director of the Bush Institute-SMU Economic Growth Initiative at the George W. Bush Institute.

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Opinion: Uphold laws and welcome immigrants thats the Texan way the country can learn from - Houston Chronicle

A respected, beloved and long-time East Texas teacher who has lived in the United States legally for most of the last 32 years is facing deportation to a country she doesnt know.

One she runs the risk of never returning to America if deported. In this reality, she would leave behind her students, her classroom, her husband, her two children, and her assets.

The political rollercoaster for immigration reform has gone up and down each time there is a new president. With a Democrat being elected president, there is hope again temporary residency would become permanent. However, a Republican Texas senator who sees the benefit of "dreamers" thinks there is a "zero percent" chance legislation will pass. In the same sentence, he says, They've grown up with our kids, attended the same churches, shopped in the same grocery stores, and defended our freedoms in the United States Military."

Awaiting a pathway to freedom

Attempts to create a pathway to citizenship for dreamers have been made and have passed the House of Representatives multiple times without success.

Recently, after the bill was introduced to the House of Representatives on March 3, 2021. Representatives voted on to pass H.R. 6, the American Dream and Promise Act, in the House.

There were 228 representatives who voted yes, and 197 who voted no. Of the 228 who voted yes, there were 219 Democrats and nine Republicans. All 197 representatives who voted "no" were Republican.

There were five representatives who were classified as not voting, including East Texas Congressman Louie Gohmert, R-Tyler. A document sent to the House of Representatives from his office said he was not in attendance at the time of voting due to a death in his family.

The American Dream and Promise Act was passed and headed toward the Senate on March 18. Dreamers are hopeful and await their fate that this year, as years of struggle and limbo will be placed behind them.

A teacher in peril

This is the reality that a fifth-grade bilingual teacher at Longview ISD's J.L. Everhart Magnet Elementary School faces if H.R. 6 fails to pass the Senate once again.

Bitia Saravia, Daca Recipient and fifth grade bilingual teacher at J.L. Everhart Magnet Elementary at Longview ISD, demonstrates how to solve a math equation for her summer class students.

Bitia Saravia arrived in the United Statesat the age of 2 with her family, who was escaping the war and violence of El Salvador in the late 1980s.

She grew up in Houston and didnt really understand the fact that she was undocumented, until high school.

All my friends were getting drivers licenses and I couldn't. They were getting jobs and I didnt, she said.

As her friends searched for options in collegesand universities, it became a question of, Can I even go to college?

Temporary Protection Status, or TPS, became an option for Saravia because she was from El Salvador. The status is given to those who come from designated countries chosen by the Secretary of Homeland Security due to conditions in the country that temporarily prevent those who came from there, from returning safely or adequately.

Since there was war and violence in El Salvador, a country that was and still is a designated country for TPS, Saravia was granted TPS. Opportunities opened up for her.

At 17, she began working.

There was an unfortunate mix-up with Saravias attorney who handled her TPS, and the fingerprinting section of the filing did not get paid. As a result, Saravia lost her protective status over the clerical issue.

By the time she lost her status, Saravia had already enrolled at the University of Texas at Tyler and had a job as a server at a local chain restaurant. She was able to continue the path she was on as she was never asked to update her paperwork that revealed her status.

In 2009, Saravia graduated with a bachelors degree in education and interdisciplinary studies. This is usually when an individual would secure employment in their field and work toward their personal goals, but this was not the case for Saravia.

She was an undocumented immigrant in the United States after losing her protective status. She knew she couldnt move forward to the next step of her life until something was done, so she kept her job as a server, while holding her bachelors degree from UT Tyler, and got paid $2.13 an hour.

She was eventually promoted to manager, not knowing if she was ever going to be able to practice her profession or not.

From 2006 to 2012, this was her limbo.

Obviously I was very grateful I had a job, but it was very depressing working in a job that wasn't what I felt was my calling. It wasnt what I wanted to do with my life. I felt very much limited and stuck. At that moment, its very frustrating. I had a bachelors degree working for $2.13 an hour, she said.

Saravia said that she had so many talents and ways to contribute, but she felt as if she wasnt being allowed to contribute.

This is the only country Ive ever known, I got here when I was 2. This is the only country Ive ever pledged allegiance to, even though Im not a citizen of it. Ive been taught this is the American Dream, the land of opportunity, and to love a country so much that you dont feel loves you back, was just a really dark moment, Saravia said.

A flickering light

In 2012, after going through a stagnant time of her life, most worries ended for her. The Obama Administration presented the program that would once again open opportunities for her life. She was able to apply for DACA.

A year later, she was granted DACA and was able to begin teaching. Ever since, shes been at the same school district and she loves what she does.

Bitia Saravia, Daca Recipient and fifth grade bilingual teacher at J.L. Everhart Magnet Elementary at Longview ISD, reads a book to her summer classroom students.

I honestly cant imagine not being able to be a teacher. This job has allowed me to provide for my family, Saravia said.

Saravia married a U.S. citizen, which creates a pathway for her to apply for citizenship. This route, however, would require her to return to a country she has never known.

Ive never been there since I was 2, and Im 34 now, she said.

Bitia Saravia, Daca Recipient and fifth grade bilingual teacher at J.L. Everhart Magnet Elementary at Longview ISD, demonstrates how to solve a math equation to her summer class students.

Because Saravia lived in the United States as an undocumented immigrant for a period of time, applying for citizenship through her husband is not the preferred way to obtain citizenship. The penalty for being undocumented in the U.S. for over a year requires the individual to return to their home country for a number of years, up to 10 years. And in some instances, the individual may not have permission to ever return to the United States.

Thats why we havent wanted to explore my husband petitioning for me, because its a requirement. Im hoping that, if they create a pathway to citizenship for dreamers, it wouldnt require us to go back to our country to do that, Saravia said.

Another setback

When DACA was taken away by the Trump Administration, the family of four felt as if there wasnt another alternative, so they began to follow that path of filling through her husband for Saravia to obtain citizenship that way.

She now faces deportation to a country, one she runs the risk of never returning from.

I have my family here, this is the only place Ive ever known. We have two kids. It would greatly affect our family in a positive way if the Dream Act does get passed, Saravia said.

The 34-year-old teacher is now holding her breath, awaiting the fate of the American Dream and Promise Act.

Bitia Saravia, Daca Recipient and fifth grade bilingual teacher at J.L. Everhart Magnet Elementary at Longview ISD, interacts with her classroom students as they attempt to solve the math equation on the board.

Saravia describes DACA as a temporary band-aid that has helped her advance in life. It allowed her to get her foot in the door and be able to use her talents, contribute to the community and follow her passion at Longview ISD.

Waiting for a solution

Im about to start my ninth year teaching this fall and Ive had hundreds of students and I love them dearly. I think about, what if I never had the opportunity to never have these kids in my life, she said.

Saravia still holds DACA status and is waiting to hear the results of her husband petitioning for her to receive citizenship. If the American Dream and Promise Act was passed, she would attempt to pause the process through her husband and pursue the new law to gain her citizenship, as it most likely would not require her to return to El Salvador for a number of years.

If it did pass, I would want to be a citizen of the only country Ive ever known the country Ive contributed to, that I feel like I help make a better place, she said.

These days, Saravia has had difficult conversations with her family.

These are the conversations I have to have with my 6-year-old daughter. I have to tell her that this is a possibility and its important for me that my daughter understand that, if I ever left this country, it wasnt by choice, that if I ever left her with her dad behind, that I wasnt choosing to abandon her, that it wasnt my choice, she said.

Saravia has never known El Salvador since she was 2. She said not knowing her country makes her even more uncomfortable about taking her family and moving them there.

It would be a separation. It would be me going to El Salvador and my husband and kids being here. Me becoming a citizen would take away that dark cloud of a possibility that I wouldnt be with my family, she said.

Saravia spoke about the ignorance of the knowledge of DACA, saying she often hears misconceptions that DACA recipients are still children. Today, a large portion of them are adults that now contribute to society and pay taxes.

They think that were here to take when were here to give, she said. We pay into a system we cant take out of. We pay taxes to a government that I cant vote in. I get no say in who represents me, but their vote affects my everyday life, so I dont get a say in that."

She also said there is a common misconception in people who come from foreign countries. She often hears they want to come to the United States to do bad things that are happening in their home countries, but in reality, those immigrating from places like such, have come to the U.S. to escape those experiences.

Like no, were fleeing to do the opposite. We want to make our communities better, we want to live a peaceful life here. Were not here to cause trouble. I feel like we give so much more to our communities than were allowed to take, Saravia said.

Saravia has won the lamplighter award twice in her career at Longview ISD in 2018 and again this year. The award is closely described as the teacher of the year, but chosen by a teachers students instead of their fellow peers.

The moment she finally gains citizenship, Saravia said she is most excited to vote and travel. The first place she would travel to is some of the safest places in her home country of El Salvador.

History

Dreamers, also known as recipients of DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, were given the opportunity in June 2012 when the Obama Administration created the program to help undocumented individuals who were brought to the United States as children, many of which have spent most of their lives living in the United States.

The Trump Administration began to make efforts to remove the program by September 2017. With about 11 million undocumented persons living in the United States and with 1.6 million in Texas, the administration was unsuccessful in the abolishment of the program.

Lawsuits were filed against the Trump Administration and in June 2020, protection for dreamers was affirmed by the Supreme Court when they ruled the Trump Administrations decision to end the DACA program arbitrary and capricious in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act.

As a result, the Trump administration began rolling back protections for immigrants, including rejecting new and pending DACA applications.

In January 2021, the Biden administration issued an executive order calling the Secretary of Homeland Security to take all appropriate actions to preserve and fortify DACA, with regulations that would make it harder to take away in case the American Dream and Promise Act does not pass.

DACA did two things for recipients: provides a two-year period where the person cannot be deported, as long as a crime is not committed, and allows for two years of work authorization, which comes with a social security number allowing individuals to apply for their drivers license. DACA recipients renew every two years and must pay the application fee of $495.

The three forms that must be filled out by DACA recipients, Form 1-765 Worksheet, Application for Employment Authorization and Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.DACA recipients renew every two years and must pay the application fee of $495.

With the American Dream and Promise Act, a solution for dreamers could be established by creating an opportunity to apply for permanent legal status and eventually become eligible for U.S. citizenship.

The American Dream and Promise Act would also cancel the removal of undocumented immigrants who have been continuously physically present in the United States for four years preceding the bills enactment, were younger than 18 when they were first brought to the United States, and have no criminal record. Eligible undocumented immigrants must be in school or have graduated, or be serving in the military, or have received an honorable discharge.

After maintaining lawful permanent resident status for five years, these dreamers would then be able to apply to become U.S. citizens.

This is the opportunity three groups of people face: those with TPS, farmworkers and dreamers.

Lawmakers weigh in

We actually have a fighting chance. Ginger Young, immigration attorney and counselor at law at Flowers Davis law firm in Tyler, said about the situation and what the future looks like for dreamers.

In advance of a recent Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, U.S. Senator John Cornyn, R-TX, spoke on the floor and criticized Democrats legislation to legalize undocumented immigrants without addressing the ongoing immigration crisis at the U.S. and Mexico border.

This legislation stands zero chance of passing the senate zero. It combines some of the most radical proposals from the far left in one massive bill that fails to address the needs of our country, Cornyn said. Rather than discuss the humanitarian crisis at the border, our Democratic colleagues have chosen to hold a hearing on a dead-on-arrival bill, and they know it. Its a remarkable show of priorities."

Cornyn said DACA recipients are a vital part of Texas communities.

They've grown up with our kids, attended the same churches, shopped in the same grocery stores, and defended our freedoms in the United States Military, Cornyn said.

Cornyn said Congress cannot pass legislation to provide certainty to dreamers if Democrats and the White House insist on attaching controversial policies or ignoring the immigration crisis at the border.

Gohmert has shown support of requiring immigrants who are unlawfully present to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship.

The American Dream and Promise Act now lies in the Senate, which requires a total of 60 votes to pass.

Last time I checked, it has 56 votes, and if it doesnt, theres some talk that theyre going to possibly put in a filibuster that they could pass it with fewer votes, but that becomes politically dangerous, so if we can get the votes, that would be the best thing, Young said.

Young advises those who look to obtain citizenship through the possible avenue of the American Dream and Promise Act, to begin working toward getting DACA now.

Immigration Lawyer in Tyler Ginger Young explains the forms that DACA recipients have to fill out.

Requirements include turning 15 years of age after 2017, being enrolled in school, having graduated, or working toward or having obtained a GED or diploma. The applicant must also have arrived before 16 years of age and under the age of 31 and must have a continual presence in the United States for every single year.

Once the Dream and Promise Act passes, DACA goes away. There is no more DACA, so you have to qualify under the Dream and Promise Act, she said.

If one qualifies for the Dream and Promise Act and they dont have DACA, additional proof is required, meaning it could take additional time, sometimes years, to finally obtain citizenship.

Theres a period of conditional, an eight-year period to meet heightened requirements. You have to show an additional two years of college, additional three years of work, one or the other, and you have to show that youre paying taxes for a certain period of time. Its a little harder to get the Dream and Promise Act than it is to get DACA, but its a safety net for people who just didnt get around to filling the DACA, Young explained.

Young added if a person has had DACA and it has been expired for less than a year, they can renew it. She also said that if one meets the requirements after the conditional year, the person can apply for the Dream and Promise Act to become a resident and eventually obtain citizenship.

You can see how important it is to get your DACA now because it saves you six to eight years to get a full residency and then its a shorter hit to your citizenship, Young said.

Young said that so far, its been a three-year path from residency to citizenship.

For example, if on July 1, 2021, a residency is obtained through the Dream and Promise Act, one can become a citizen on July 1, 2024, if the individual previously had DACA.

Young talked about her clients, and how DACA is a band-aid or a protective bubble.

Its hard to think, I want to invest $75,000 into my education, knowing I may not ever be able to work legally. I think we owe it to our society, I think we owe it to these kids to pass the Dream Act, Young said.

Tyler Immigration Lawyer Ginger Young gathers up forms that must be filled out by DACA Recipients.

She also spoke about the financial impact the law would have on the country.

You have these employers that cant find employees. We have a huge pool of people, whether theyre DACA kids or immigrants, that would love to be able to do that work. Thats passing laws or regulations or something that allows us to employ. It helps the community, it helps the economy, it helps individuals, Young said.

According to an analysis by the Center for American Progress, DACA recipients who arrived as children have deep-rooted ties to their communities. In data collected from spring 2020, statistics revealed that approximately 106,090 DACA recipients live in Texas, and the average age of arrival is 7 years old.

In DACA recipients fiscal and economic contributions, which include annual tax contributions, spending power, and housing payments of household, DACA recipients in Texas paid approximately $705.2 million in federal taxes, $409.9 million in state and local taxes and contributed approximately $3.4 billion in spending power.

Young said the country cant afford as a nation to lose the workforce or lose people who are paying taxes into our system.

People get offended by immigration, theyre on one side or the other typically. There should be no sides. The side should be whats best for the United States, period, Young said, calling DACA an easy transition to the American Dream and Promise Act.

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Years of work and raising families could be over with blocked DACA legislation - Tyler Morning Telegraph