Senator Harris Remains Committed To Protecting Immigrant Communities

Friend,

Senator Harris continues to be a leading voice on protecting Dreamers, their families, and the hard working immigrants who contribute to our country every day! In fact, just recently she stood in solidarity with Dreamers and immigration advocates from across the country in support of the DREAM Act outside of her office in Washington, D.C. “This is what Democracy looks like,” said Senator Harris.

The amount of support and the broad coalition of allies was truly remarkable.

Click on photo to watch Senator Harris talk about the importance of passing a clean DREAM Act.

Below are some of the latest examples of the work Senator Harris is doing on behalf of our immigrant community: 

• Harris & 23 Democratic Senators Call On DHS To Accept DACA Applications Delayed By Postal Service: Senator Harris and 23 Democratic Senators sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) expressing their concern with recent reports that DHS rejected renewal requests for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) that were received after the application deadline due to U.S. Postal Service processing delays and called on the department to take immediate action to reverse this decision. In the letter, the Senators urged DHS to allow individuals whose DACA renewal applications were rejected because they were received after the October 5, 2017, deadline to resubmit their applications and notify such applicants of this opportunity. According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Elaine Duke has directed USCIS to accept DACA renewal requests from individuals who resubmit their DACA renewal request with individualized proof that the request was originally mailed in a timely manner and that the cause for receipt after the Oct. 5, 2017, deadline was the result of USPS mail service error. Full text of the letter is available here.

• Harris, Feinstein Call for Waived Fees for California Wildfire Victims Replacing Immigration Documents: Senators Harris and Feinstein (both D-Calif.) sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services urging them to waive fees for individuals whose immigration and naturalization documents were lost, damaged, or destroyed as a result of the recent California wildfires. The wildfires burned more than 245,000 acres of land and destroyed 8,900 homes and structures, leaving 100,000 Californians displaced. Full text of the letter is available here.

• Harris Joins Cortez Masto, Democratic Women Senators to McConnell: Pass the Dream Act Before Senate Recesses in December: Senator Harris joined Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and ten other female Democratic Senators in sending a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell urging him to pass the Dream Act as soon as possible before the Senate recesses in December. Full text of the letter is available here. 

• Harris Statement on Vote Against Nielsen as DHS Secretary: Senator Harris voted against the nomination of Kirstjen Nielsen to be Secretary of Homeland Security in the Homeland Security in the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee due to Nielsen’s role in the development and implementation of the unconstitutional Muslim bans, the termination of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, and the feeble response to Hurricanes Irma, Maria and Harvey. The Senator’s full statement on her opposition to Nielson is available here. 

• Harris Presses DHS Secretary Nominee on DACA Recipients and Immigration Enforcement at Sensitive Locations: Senator Harris received several commitments from DHS Secretary Nominee Kirstjen Nielson to protect Dreamers, as well as on DHS’ immigration enforcement priorities and operations. The Senator’s questioning is available here.

• Harris Co-Sponsors Legislation to Protect Individuals with Temporary Protected Status: Senator Kamala Harris co-sponsored the Safe Environment from Countries Under Repression and in Emergency (SECURE) Act introduced by Senators Cardin, Van Hollen and Feinstein, a bill that would allow qualifying individuals with TPS to obtain a green card. Harris previously sent a letter with her colleagues to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Department of Homeland Security Acting Secretary Elaine Duke urging the Trump Administration to extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for nationals from Honduras and El Salvador living in the United States, who are contributing to the U.S. economy, paying taxes, and supporting their families. Full text of the letter is available here. 

Be sure to visit our newsroom for more breaking news updates and information from Washington! 

Best,
Julie

Julie Chávez Rodríguez 
State Director 
U.S. Senator Kamala D. Harris