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Improve the Dream founder Dip Patel says Biden’s new immigration policy ignores documented dreamers
Patel acknowledged the positive aspects of the new policies, which include allowing individuals married to U.S. citizens to navigate their path to a green card more smoothly
Dip Patel, the founder of Improve The Dream, a youth-led organization that advocates for the children of long-term visa holders who face self-deportation, expressed disappointment with the White House's recent announcement of new immigration policies that provide pathways to citizenship for DACA recipients.
In a detailed statement, Patel acknowledged the positive aspects of the new policies, which include allowing individuals married to U.S. citizens to navigate their path to a green card more smoothly and enabling DACA recipients to access existing work visas. However, he stressed that these measures fail to address the critical needs of over 250,000 children of long-term visa holders (documented dreamers).
Our statement on @WhiteHouse's immigration executive actions announced today and the bipartisan letter from members of Congress calling on @DHSgov and @USCIS to protect children of long-term visa holders and families affected by the green card backlog. pic.twitter.com/9Ax6xDEasH
— Improve The Dream (@ImproveTheDream) June 18, 2024
"Without corresponding, parallel action that protects the over 250,000 children of long-term visa holders, some of today's actions inadvertently increase the risk that individuals raised and educated in the United States with lawful status will be forced to self-deport," Patel remarked.
He emphasized that these young individuals, many of whom contribute significantly to sectors like healthcare, artificial intelligence, and bioengineering, are at risk of being lost to other countries due to the limitations of current immigration laws.
"The administration states 'it is in our national interest to ensure that individuals who are educated in the U.S. are able to use their skills and education to benefit our country,' but ignores the thousands of American-raised and educated children being forced to leave despite having lawful status," Patel remarked. "We were also excluded from protection under the 2012 DACA program, solely because it required having unlawful status."
Patel called for immediate administrative action and long-term legislative solutions, such as passage of the bipartisan America's Children Act to prevent the forced departure of American-raised children who have been educated in the U.S. and are eager to contribute to its economy and society.
"Providing this relief is common sense from both an economic and moral perspective," he stated. "Every day without action results in young adults, who have been raised in the United States by skilled workers and small business owners, being forced to leave the country, separating them from their families and stopping their ability to contribute to our country," he added.
The sentiment was echoed by Congresswoman Deborah Ross, who applauded the Biden administration for its efforts to keep families united and provide stability to Dreamers but lamented the exclusion of documented dreamers from the relief measures.
I’m grateful that @POTUS has taken decisive action to keep families together, provide more stability to Dreamers, & strengthen our economy.
— Congresswoman Deborah Ross (@RepDeborahRoss) June 18, 2024
However, I'm sorry to see that this does not include relief for Documented Dreamers.
Read my full statement pic.twitter.com/PcVqhH0N05
"While today's announcement gets us one step closer to a humane immigration system that supports our workforce needs and reflects our values, I am sorry to see that it does not include relief for documented dreamers," Ross stated.
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