November 14, 2017 The Honorable Mitch McConnell Majority Leader United States Senate Washington, D.C. 20510 The Honorable Chuck Schumer Minority Leader United States Senate Washington, D.C. 20510 The Honorable Paul Ryan Speaker of the House of Representatives United States House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20515 The Honorable Nancy Pelosi Minority Leader United States House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20515 Dear Leader McConnell, Leader Schumer, Speaker Ryan, and Leader Pelosi: We are writing to urge Congress to pass the Dream Act of 2017 and to do so before the end of the year. This bipartisan legislation would allow young immigrants brought to the United States as children to earn lawful permanent residence and eventually American citizenship. Last month, the last renewal applications for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program were accepted, marking the official end of the program. Some of the 22,000 Dreamers who did not renew their status are already losing their work authorization and protection from deportation. The negative human consequences of the program’s termination are beginning to unfold now. It has been more than two months since President Donald Trump announced his decision to rescind the DACA program, and neither the House nor the Senate has agreed upon a legislative solution to resolve this critical issue. Time is running out. The best chance – likely the only chance for many, many months – of reaching a legislative solution is to include the Dream Act of 2017 in the Congressional spending bill that must pass by December 8. If Congress is unable to reach a legislative solution, nearly 800,000 Dreamers will be at risk of deportation starting early next year. As national security leaders, we are particularly concerned that the nearly 900 Dreamers who are either currently serving in the U.S. Armed Forces or are recruits waiting to start boot camp could be deported. Each of these individuals provides highly sought after language or medical skills and, more importantly, has a strong desire to serve our nation. We have also been moved by the stories of Dreamers serving as leaders in Junior ROTC programs across the country. These Dreamers are eager to serve our country, whether in their individual communities, or in uniform abroad. Rescinding DACA without a concrete legislative solution puts these Dreamers at risk. In addition to uprooting the lives of men and women who are making sacrifices for our nation, we believe deporting Dreamers would divert government resources from countering serious national security threats currently facing our nation. These threats demand significant financial resources, as well as the attention of our elected officials, law enforcement personnel, and security professionals at the local, state, and federal levels. Deporting all DACA recipients would cost the U.S. a minimum of $7.5 billion. Rather than diverting resources to deport Dreamers, the U.S. Government should be focused on combatting the very real threats we face. Finite resources should be prioritized to secure the U.S. border, deport violent criminals, prevent violent crime, and prevent terrorist attacks and cyber-attacks. Deporting soldiers would be a waste of resources, but more importantly, a travesty of justice. With every day that passes, these Dreamers are getting closer to the reality of deportation. We urge you to pass the Dream Act of 2017 as quickly as possible to provide permanent protection for Dreamers and relieve this deserving group of the uncertainty created by the President’s decision to rescind DACA. We should leave no man or woman behind. Let that be our guiding principle. Sincerely, Secretary Madeleine Albright Former Secretary of State Secretary Leon Panetta Former Secretary of Defense Secretary Ashton Carter Former Secretary of Defense Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez Former Secretary of Commerce Secretary Janet Napolitano Former Secretary of Homeland Security Director James Clapper Former Director of National Intelligence General Michael Hayden Former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency Director John Brennan Former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency The Honorable Michael Morell Former Acting and Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency Secretary Deborah Lee James Former Secretary of the U.S. Air Force Admiral James Stavridis Former Supreme Allied Commander Europe Secretary Richard Danzig Former Secretary of the U.S. Navy Secretary Eric Fanning Former Secretary of the U.S. Army