Congresswoman Dina Titus of Nevada’s First District voted against the King Amendment to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Appropriations Act today that would effectively bar the implementation of President Obama’s Deferred Action program that protects DREAMers and other law-abiding, undocumented immigrants from deportation. Representative Titus voted against the underlying legislation as well because of this poison pill amendment. The King Amendment would prohibit prosecutorial discretion policies that ensure DHS law enforcement resources are targeted at serious criminals, and not at those who pose no threat to U.S. communities. Congresswoman Titus is a longtime advocate of comprehensive immigration reform and is an original cosponsor of the DREAM Act set to be reintroduced in the House of Representatives in the near future.

“I’m very disappointed so many of my Republican colleagues voted to target DREAMers and victims of crime rather than serious criminals who threaten our public safety and nation’s security,” Congresswoman Titus said. “Today’s vote on the King Amendment was the first real test vote on fixing our broken immigration system and is a bright line indication of where people’s priorities lie. It is clear that we must work even harder to pass comprehensive immigration reform. We should be focusing on providing undocumented immigrants a fair path to citizenship and the opportunity to participate in the American Dream, not wasting time and resources trying to target those who pose no danger to our communities.”