Bill would prevent Trump Administration from accessing confidential information of all young immigrants who applied for DACA
Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined a group of Senate Democrats to introduce S. 229, the Protect DREAMer Confidentiality Act of 2017, a bill to safeguard private information such as addresses and telephone numbers of the young immigrants, also known as DREAMers. The legislation will help ensure any young immigrant who requested Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) cannot be targeted for deportation by the Trump Administration. The introduction of the bill follows President Donald Trump’s announcement of a series of executive actions on immigration that may affect the nearly 1 million DREAMers across the nation. U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) is leading the legislation, and joining Senator Cortez Masto as co-sponsors are U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Jack Reed (D-R.I.).
“I have had the honor of meeting with many inspiring DREAMers in Nevada and across the country,” said Cortez Masto. “These hardworking young men and women are American in all but paper and want nothing more than to be able to work and continue contributing to their communities, and we must ensure they have the chance to do this. I am committed to doing everything in my power to protect them and their families, and this bill is the first of many steps that will help me keep that promise and give DREAMers the peace of mind they long for and deserve.”
Specifically, S. 229 would protect the confidentiality of information submitted in requests for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program (DACA) from disclosure to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or U.S. Customs and Border Protection for any purpose other than implementing the DACA Program, unless there are national security concerns or other limited exception.