WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chairs Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) and Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), and Vice Chair Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) issued the following statements after Daniel Ramirez Medina, a DACA recipient, was arrested by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“Donald Trump breaks faith with immigrant communities every chance he gets, and the arrest of a young DACA recipient this week is just the latest awful example,” Rep. Grijalva said. “President Obama created DACA because it is callous to target people who had no say in how they arrived here as children, and because it is foolish to kick out young people who pose no threat, instead of welcoming their talents and contributions to our society. It is clear Donald Trump does not grasp these realities. Daniel Ramirez Medina’s arrest is a sad turning point for the more than 700,000 DACA recipients who signed up expecting the federal government to honor its word to protect them – we now know Donald Trump is not willing to uphold that commitment.”
“President Obama’s DACA program has protected thousands of people who were brought to the United States as children and have known no other home but the United States,” Rep. Ellison said. “It has allowed many young Minnesotans to become members of our community and come out of the shadows. This arrest is a reminder of the Republican Party’s cruel politics of hatred and fear, and it is a violation of DACA itself, which remains the law of the land. I urge ICE to release Daniel Ramirez Medina – and I urge President Trump and the Republican party to end their shameful, violent treatment of immigrants.”
“I’m appalled by the enforcement raids happening across the country. Young people like Daniel trusted the government, and applied for the DACA program under the promise that applying would not result in immigration enforcement actions. Last weekend, the administration broke that promise when ICE picked up Daniel from his father’s house and put him in a Tacoma detention facility,” said Rep. Jayapal. “ICE has provided no evidence to back their reason for arresting Daniel. This shift in enforcement priorities is alarming. We need answers. We need ICE to come clean, and return Daniel to his family.”
