National Black Justice Coalition Applauds House Passage of the American Dream and Promise Act
Says Immigration Reform Must Be Inclusive of All Immigrants and Address Trauma That Immigrants Have Faced
CONTACT: Anna Zuccaro | anna@unbendablemedia.com
WASHINGTON, DC — Moments ago, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the American Dream and Promise Act (H.R. 6). If signed into law, the American Dream and Promise Act would provide a path to lawful permanent residency and citizenship for Dreamers and undocumented immigrants.
In response, David J. Johns, executive director of the National Black Justice Coalition, a leading civil rights organization dedicated to the empowerment of Black Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer+ and same gender loving (LGBTQ+/SGL) people, issued the following statement:
“The National Black Justice Coalition applauds the House of Representatives’ passage of the American Dream and Promise Act today. This bill is a meaningful step in the right direction toward fixing our broken immigration system.
“Too often, Black immigrants – from African diasporic countries and communities – are ignored in conversations surrounding immigration and pathways to citizenship. For Black immigrants with intersectional identities, especially queer and transgender individuals, this process is fraught with additional complexities. It is critical that we remember them in our immigration reform efforts.
“As Congress debates this bill, we cannot forget that children are still sleeping in cages at the Southern border, and that the federal government is responsible. Reuniting all of the families who were involuntarily torn apart by the racist and reckless acts of the prior Administration must be a top priority. Americans have yet to reckon with the trauma that this psychologically tortuous practice will have on immigrant parents and children for generations to come.
“We stand in solidarity with Rep. Mondaire Jones and others who fought to remove barriers to citizenship based on experiences with the racist criminal justice system knowing that these barriers will contribute to continued over-criminalization and discrimination against immigrants, and especially impacts Black and brown folks. We urge Congress to revisit and repeal legislation that erects additional barriers for people and communities often neglected and ignored.
“Immigration reform must not focus exclusively on ‘legal pathways to citizenship.’ We must direct equal time and energy toward healing, community justice, and remedying the intergenerational trauma and impacts on caregiving at the hands of our government.”
