"President Obama showed tremendous leadership by halting the deportation of young undocumented immigrants who came to the Unites States as children and have since led law-abiding lives. Removing the threat of immediate deportation will grant much needed relief to young people who could have been helped by the DREAM Act, a bill that would have put many young DREAMers on a path to citizenship, but has failed to win passage in a Congress deadlocked by partisan politics. In the absence of congressional action, President Obama is taking bold action to begin fixing our broken immigration system.

For too many years now, Congress has failed our communities by refusing to pass the DREAM Act, leaving undocumented young people without relief. The President's announcement marks a major turning point in the debate.

President Obama is offering what no other administration has before -- an opportunity for almost 1 million DREAMers to contribute to their communities and serve the country that is their home. We thank President Obama for his courageous leadership on this issue. Congress must now do their part and take action to pass the DREAM Act and comprehensive immigration reform.

1199SEIU’s history is steeped in the struggle of immigrant healthcare workers fighting for better lives. In the 1930s, in the 1960s and today, we continue to work to pursue every opportunity for a good education and decent jobs for our members and their children.

We will continue to fight the tide of national and local anti-immigrant policies and support our future leaders by fighting for immigration reform and passage of the DREAM Act, extending permanent residency to all young immigrants.”