AAUW’s Public Policy Priorities outline our support for “the civil and human rights of all immigrants, including a fair and just path to legal status.” As such, we continue to urge Congress to take up and pass the bipartisan, bicameral DREAM Act. In the wake of these additional inhumane policy developments, AAUW joined this coalition letter and participated in a Congressional press conference with particular focus on the treatment of immigrant women and children. The letter frames family separation as a piece of a larger, problematic approach to immigration, calling for “policies that respect the sanctity of a family” and “create a common-sense and humane immigration process,” like the DREAM Act.
Yesterday, AAUW signed on to oppose the two draconian immigration bills being sponsored by Rep. Paul Ryan and Rep. Bob Goodlatte, which we expect to see on the floor this week. That letter calls out the cynical, cruel attempt to use children as bargaining chips in these negotiations. Moreover, with respect to DACA, Ryan’s s proposal to “help” Dreamers is worse than the White House framework, leaving Dreamers at the mercy of DHS spending on border security, and it would subject them to an convoluted points system that could delay them for decades and likely exclude many of them from gaining citizenship. Because the points system is heavily weighted toward education and years of employment, the bill will disproportionately affect mothers and other caregivers, primarily women, managing or forgoing education and/or career advancement while caring for their loved ones. The Goodlatte bill is even more extreme, in part because it would leave Dreamers with no path to citizenship.
There are a number of Illinois representatives who have not yet taking a position on the DREAM Act, so we would strongly encourage your branch members to keep up the drumbeat. Constituents may contact their members of Congress using the Two-Minute Activist opportunity available here or can use the alert to develop talking points for phone calls, letters to the editors, or op-eds. The list of bill sponsors isavailable here.
Elizabeth Holden
Grassroots Advocacy Manager
American Association of University Women (AAUW)
202.785.7763 | www.aauw.org