March 5, 2021
Press Contacts
Sam Yu, Communications Manager syu@nakasec.org, 213.703.0992
Michelle Liang, Policy Manager michelle@nakasec.org
NAKASEC Network’s Statement on the Introduction of the Dream and Promise Act of 2021
Chicago, IL – On March 3rd, the Dream & Promise Act was introduced into the House of Representatives. This legislation provides a pathway to citizenship for many young undocumented immigrants and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) recipients.
Under the banner of our #Citizenship4All Campaign, the NAKASEC Network is organizing for a pathway to citizenship for all of our 11 million undocumented community members and an end to all detention and deportations. We claim as a victory for our community the introduction of legislation that provides legalization. However, we are disappointed that despite our urging to Congress in these past weeks for an inclusive Dream and Promise Act, the bill actively excludes some of our most vulnerable young people that are profiled by the racist criminal legal system.
Jung Woo Kim, NAKASEC Organizing Director and DACA recipient, expressed:
“Our community members and organizers have been involved in a decades-long fight for immigrant justice. Congress must remove the exclusions from the Dream & Promise Act immediately. Elected officials cannot consider themselves champions of immigrant rights if they do not also fight for people who have been criminalized. Congress must pass legislation through the second budget reconciliation process–the most effective means for passing inclusive legislation–that provides a pathway to citizenship for all 11 million undocumented community members.”
NAKASEC’s mission is to organize Korean and Asian Americans to achieve social, racial and economic justice. The NAKASEC Network includes HANA Center (Illinois), Woori Center (Pennsylvania), NAKASEC VA (Virginia), MinKwon Center (New York), Korean Resource Center (California) and the Korean American Voters League (Texas).
