Act on DACA

Congress has an opportunity to bolster our Texas economy and benefit all Texans by providing a long-term legislative solution for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients. Yet, despite many opportunities, Congress has failed to do so. Now, the Supreme Court is set to hear a case that could end the program in just a few months. There are 800,000 DACA recipients across the country. They have made the U.S. their home after being brought here through no fault of their own as children by their parents. They contribute to our economy, and are working and studying. They also pay taxes and have gone through a rigorous application process, paying fees and undergoing thorough background checks, and are required to renew their status every two years, following the same process.

Individuals with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) are also living with the fear of deportation after the decades-old program protecting them was terminated, with TPS beneficiaries from some countries set to lose status as early as April 2019.

I hope that Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz will protect the more than 127,500 Texan DACA recipients and our nation’s TPS beneficiaries before it’s too late. a fact of life that way too many women have to deal with. I am appalled that he thought it was appropriate to use the Girl Scouts as an example and that this newspaper agreed with him by publishing his piece. Mr. Johnson needs to check himself and recognize the privilege of bodily autonomy.