Bill Text: NJ AR210 | 2016-2017 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Opposes action by President to rescind Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 4)
Status: (Passed) 2017-02-15 - Filed with Secretary of State [AR210 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2016-AR210-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman JOHN S. WISNIEWSKI
District 19 (Middlesex)
SYNOPSIS
Opposes action by President to rescind Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Assembly Resolution opposing any action by the President of the United States to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy.
Whereas, New Jersey has long been a welcoming home for immigrants from around the world and appreciates the valuable contributions immigrants make to our State and our nation; and
Whereas, New Jersey's immigrant population includes undocumented immigrants who have come to the United States in pursuit of the American dream and to build a better life for themselves and their families; and
Whereas, Many of these families include children who were brought to New Jersey at a very young age and were raised and educated in the State; and
Whereas, In 2013, the New Jersey Legislature passed Senate Bill No. 2479, informally referred to as the New Jersey Dream Act, to ensure that these children have access to affordable higher education by allowing them to qualify for in-State tuition rates at public institutions of higher education; and
Whereas, The New Jersey Dream Act bill, in its original form, also permitted these students to apply for State student financial aid programs; and
Whereas, Governor Chris Christie conditionally vetoed the New Jersey Dream Act based on his objections to the section of the bill that allowed undocumented students to participate in State student financial aid programs, and asked the Legislature to remove that provision; and
Whereas, The Legislature, in order to provide tuition equality for these students, concurred with the terms of Governor Christie's conditional veto; and
Whereas, Without eligibility for State student financial aid programs, many of these students need to work to afford the cost of a college education; and
Whereas, As a result of Governor Christie's conditional veto and in order to continue their pursuit of higher education, many of these students registered with the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, a policy implemented under President Barack Obama's Administration. Under DACA, the federal government agreed to exercise its prosecutorial discretion to defer deportation of undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children and allowed these students to qualify for employment authorization in the United States; and
Whereas, President Donald Trump was sworn into office on January 20, 2017 and is expected to rescind DACA, exposing these students to the threat of immediate deportation; and
Whereas, Such action by President Trump would punish young men and women who followed the proper course of action in registering for DACA so that they could pursue their higher education; and
Whereas, These students have spent their formative years in the United States and know only America as their home, pay taxes and contribute to our economy as hard-working employees, and add rich diversity to our schools through class participation and campus programs; and
Whereas, Rescinding the DACA policy would deprive the State of the many contributions of these students; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. This House opposes any action by President Donald Trump to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy.
2. This House further urges Governor Chris Christie, given that his conditional veto of the New Jersey Dream Act bill led many of these students to register for DACA, to use all power within his means to urge President Trump to leave DACA intact so that these New Jersey students are not subject to immediate deportation to a country they have never known and so that these students may continue to work and pursue their higher education.
3. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly to the President and Vice-President of the United States, the Governor of this State, the Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States Senate, the Speaker and Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, and every member of Congress elected from this State.
STATEMENT
This resolution expresses the General Assembly's opposition to any action by President Donald Trump to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy. Under DACA, a policy implemented under President Obama's Administration, the federal government agreed to defer deportation of undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children and allowed these students to qualify for employment authorization in the United States. Many of these students who live in New Jersey applied for the DACA program so that they could work in order to be able to afford the pursuit of a college education. These students know only America as their home and are hard-working employees who contribute to the economy and to the rich diversity of our schools. Rescinding DACA would expose these students to the threat of immediate deportation and deprive the State of their many contributions.
