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Congressman Bacon meets with group over DACA, TPS concerns

Posted at 10:25 PM, May 02, 2018
and last updated 2018-05-03 13:43:43-04

A day after Nebraska and six other states filed a lawsuit against the federal government, looking to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, local Hispanic leaders are voicing their concerns.

A group of DACA and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) recipients had an opportunity to speak with Congressman Don Bacon in an intimate meeting Wednesday evening at Plaza Latina in South Omaha. 

About a dozen people took turns asking questions regarding the two immigration programs. Some asked what action Congress is doing to find a permanent residency solution for DACA, while some TPS recipients asked Bacon to advocate for them to be able to transition into residency or citizenship status, after their program expires in September 2019. Others voiced their fear about DACA in Nebraska after Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson joined the seven-state lawsuit to end the program, calling it unconstitutional. 

"I know the attorney general. I know his heart on this matter. His goal is to get a law and not an executive order. He wants to see a law that congress passes and the president signs that he can help enforce. Right now he feels like he's enforcing against the law and he wants to fix that," said Bacon.

The congressman said he supports DACA and TPS and promised the group to champion for a compromised deal for DACA, with more border security and a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers.