Today, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) welcomed news that Democratic leadership in the U.S. House and Senate had reached tentative agreement with President Trump to provide a path to legalization for young immigrants known as “dreamers.” She also praised President Trump’s reported decision to separate a solution on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program from his request for billions of dollars for an ineffective Mexican border wall. Pingree said of the agreement:
“It’s encouraging to see President Trump working with Democratic leadership to ensure tens of thousands of young DREAMers are not deported to countries completely unknown to them. I hope he follows through on this promise. For the 800,000 Americans—including nearly 100 Mainers—enrolled in DACA, America is where they’ve build roots as neighbors, business owners, colleagues, and obviously taxpayers,” said Congresswoman Chellie Pingree. “The economic loss of deporting tens of thousands of DREAMers is nothing short of devastating, but the message it would send about America’s values is even more damaging. America is a nation made up immigrants and very few of us can trace our ancestry directly to this land. That’s why I am a proud co-sponsor of the DREAM Act and urge my House colleagues to swiftly approve this bill.”
Pingree continued, “As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, we’ve seen Draconian budget cuts requested from the Trump Administration. In the face of cuts to low-income heating for seniors and Meals on Wheels, it was completely absurd for the President to request billions of dollars for a border wall that would do nothing to address our nation’s immigration challenges. I am pleased to see President Trump appears to be backing away from this ridiculous request and acknowledging that a DACA fix can be done separately, which will increase the chances of accomplishing thoughtful immigration reform.”