Hoyer Statement on Citizenship Day

WASHINGTON, DC – House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement today in recognition of Citizenship Day, honoring the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, observed on Sunday, September 17:

“Today, Americans will honor the anniversary of the ratification of our Constitution by celebrating Citizenship Day.  This year, hundreds of thousands of young people across the country, who have lived here since childhood and call this nation home, will observe this day with patriotism and pride.  They will do so not as citizens but as Americans in mind and spirit who yearn for the recognition that citizenship confers. 

Many of these DREAMers registered under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and are already working legally, going to school, and participating in our public life.  They have been contributing to this nation they love and that we share, giving back to their communities and participating in our economy.  With President Trump’s decision to end DACA, these young DREAMers are now living in fear that they may be forcibly sent away from the country they love and call home – for many, the only country they have known. 

“As we celebrate Citizenship Day together, let us remember that citizenship is not just a birthright.  It is a promise to those among us, who join in this common enterprise of our democracy, that we share the same common American Dream.  Let us use this day to reaffirm that promise; let us come together in Congress to pass the DREAM Act and then turn to the important work of comprehensive immigration reform that creates a pathway to citizenship for DREAMers and those law-abiding immigrants who have been living here and contributing to our country.”