Congress left DACA families nervously counting the days

Once again this Republican Congress has failed to act on anything that would benefit the American people. Congress passed a tax bill that more than 50 percent of Americans disapproved of and voted on a end-of-year spending bill without passing a legislative solution to enact fair and permanent protections for our immigrant youth.

Each representative goes home this holiday season allowed to celebrate and rejoice with their families on a job horribly done, while Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients and their families count the days until their status expires. Congress went home knowing they effectively cut critically needed safety-net programs like Medicare or CHIP.

Congress chose to board planes back to their districts knowing each day 122 DACA recipients stand to lose their DACA status, with their lives in limbo living in fear each day worried about whether or not they will be picked up for deportation. What kind of message are we sending to our immigrant brothers and sisters, brought to this great nation too young to remember, and know no other home than America?

This story was originally published December 23, 2017 at 2:03 PM with the headline "Congress left DACA families nervously counting the days."