Senators Call for Immigration Reform to Protect Dreamers
In a bid to address longstanding immigration challenges, U.S. Senators Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego are urging Congress to overhaul immigration laws to safeguard undocumented residents brought to the U.S. as children. At a recent press event, Kelly highlighted the Trump administration’s deportation policies, critiquing them for targeting individuals such as children, business owners, and veterans who have abided by the law.
One case exemplifying these issues is that of Annie Ramos, a military spouse and Arizona State University student, who was detained earlier this year at a military base in Louisiana. Ramos, who arrived in the U.S. from Honduras in 2005, was trying to check in with her husband, U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Matthew Blank, at the time of her detention.
Jen Rickling, Blank’s mother and a resident of southern Arizona, described Ramos as a dedicated biochemistry student and Sunday school teacher. “The best way I can describe her is someone who brings light to everyone she interacts with,” Rickling shared during the press conference held in Washington, D.C., where Kelly also spoke.
Kelly emphasized the need to prioritize deportation of “serious criminals” rather than Dreamers, saying, “In what world does it make sense for us to focus our time and our effort chasing down and holding people like Annie? We should be chasing down serious criminals.”
The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, introduced in 2012 under then-President Barack Obama, offers temporary deportation relief to those brought to the U.S. as children. However, Congress has yet to pass comprehensive immigration reform, leaving Dreamers like Ramos in a state of uncertainty as they rely on DACA for protection.
Ramos’s 2020 DACA application remains unresolved, her husband noted, due to ongoing legal battles aiming to dismantle the program, the Associated Press reported. Kelly stressed the urgency for legislative action, stating, “We can pass laws to make sure that Dreamers are safe and secure in the only home many of them have ever known.”
Despite these calls for reform, the Department of Homeland Security defended its decision to detain Ramos, citing her lack of legal status in the country. The department confirmed that she faces further removal proceedings.
At a separate forum, Gallego emphasized the need for Congress to pass the Dream Act, a bipartisan bill co-sponsored by Sen. Dick Durbin and Sen. Lisa Murkowsky, offering a pathway to legal status for Dreamers. Gallego criticized the Trump administration for hindering the bill’s progress, stating, “What this administration is doing is they’re basically being cowards because they know that Dreamers and the Dream Act have bipartisan support. … They’re trying to do it in a backdoor way by basically making it so difficult for Dreamers to get their permission renewed again to the point where then that they’re finally exposed to deportation.”
