Brooklyn, N.Y. – Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke and her colleagues in the Congressional Progressive Caucus have urged President Obama to act as soon as possible under his executive authority to protect the millions of Americans who currently lack legal status from the threat of deportation.

“As Republicans in Congress refuse to allow even a debate on immigration reform, the time has arrived for President Obama to act by executive order to protect from the threat of deportation millions of Americans who attend school and work in the United States and want to raise families here. This threat imposes a serious cost – victims of crime are afraid to contact the police, workers who have been exploited cannot assert their legal rights, men and women cannot visit government buildings – even the schools their children attend – without government issued identification, and many people are fearful that a knock on the door in the middle of the night could result in the forcible separation of their family. We cannot allow this situation to continue. We already have a program of deferred action for Americans who arrived here as children without legal status. We must extend this program to the millions of other individuals who would benefit as a result.”