BROWNSVILLE, Texas (June 18, 2020) – Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño, Jr., chairman of the Texas Border Coalition (TBC), issued the following statement in response to today’s U.S. Supreme Court decision blocking the Trump Administration from ending the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program:
“TBC applauds today’s U.S. Supreme Court decision on DACA, which provides a safe harbor to eligible youth, and a work permit, renewable every two years. DACA recipients have passed background checks and received permission to live and work in the nation where they were raised as Americans. While the decision was procedural in nature, the result is a great relief for Dreamers in the Texas border region and across our country.
“Currently, thousands of DACA recipients reside in the Texas border region. More than 800 DACA recipients are now serving in the U.S. armed forces.
“Researchers at the conservative Cato Institute and liberal Center for American Progress estimate that ending the DACA program would reduce the size of the American economy by $433 billion over the next 10 years.
“Bipartisan leaders in Congress have pledged to enact the Dream Act or similar legislation to make DACA recipients eligible for permanent legal immigrant status and provide them with a stable basis to advance themselves as members of American society. President Donald Trump could make another attempt to end protections for Dreamers using administrative procedures, underscoring the need for a legislative solution. TBC urges Congress and the president to join together to enact a permanent solution.
“Fulfillment of the promise of the Dream Act is essential to the ability of DACA youth in the Texas border region to work, study, raise families and reach their full potential.”
# # #
About the Texas Border Coalition
The Texas Border Coalition (TBC) is a collective voice of border mayors, county judges, economic development commissions focused on issues that affect 2.5 million people along the Texas-Mexico border region and economically disadvantaged counties from El Paso to Brownsville. TBC is working closely with the state and federal government to educate, advocate, and secure funding for transportation, immigration and border security, workforce development, economic development and health care. For more information, visit the coalition website atwww.texasbordercoalition.org. Follow TBC on Facebook and Twitter [#TXBorderCoalition] to keep up to date on all of the latest news about the coalition and its activities.