WASHINGTON, D.C.–Hispanic Leadership Fund President Mario H. Lopez issued the following statement in response to the introduction of the SUCCEED Act in the U.S. Senate, a bill that if enacted into law, would establish an earned path to legal status for undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children if they serve in the military, graduate from college, or work.

“The Hispanic Leadership Fund applauds Republican Senators Tillis, Lankford, and Hatch for introducing the SUCCEED Act. This bill is a great step toward a reasonable and constructive conservative solution to the Dreamer issue. We urge all Members of Congress to recognize that punishing kids for their parents actions is both misguided and counterproductive to improving the American economy as a whole, especially when those kids have been vetted and are productive members of society.”

Recent studies show that Dreamers are a positive economic factor in our country and this bill will help increase the U.S. GDP by $81 Billion in over a decade while generating $22 Billion in new government revenue and creating over 117,000 new jobs. [Smith, Karl and Jeremy L. Neufeld. The Economic and Fiscal Impact of the SUCCEED Act. Niskanen Center 25 September 2017.]