June 21, 2019

Wyden Joins Colleagues in Introducing Legislation to Guarantee Dreamers Access to Home Loans

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., this week joined 11 of his colleagues in introducing a bill to guarantee Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients access to federally-backed home loans. 

The Homeownership for Dreamers Act clarifies DACA beneficiaries – also known as Dreamers – cannot be denied federally-backed mortgage loans solely because of their immigration status.

“To deny individuals the opportunity to own a home based on their immigration status alone is unacceptable,” Wyden said. “Dreamers have lived in the United States most of their lives. They go to school here, work here and make a positive difference in their communities. They’re as American as all of us and deserve the same access to home ownership.”

Joining Wyden in introducing the Homeownership for Dreamers Act are U.S. Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., Cory Booker, D-N.J., Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Robert Menendez, D-N.J., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Tammy Duckworth, D-Illi., Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Kamala Harris, D-Calif. and Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y. Congressman Juan Vargas, D-Calif., introduced similar legislation in the House of Representatives, which passed out of the Committee on Financial Services last week.

“It was not enough for Trump when he killed DACA, which protected over 800,000 immigrant youth from deportation and allowed us to work and pursue educational opportunities. Now he’s come after our ability to purchase a home, put a roof over the heads of our families and to establish a foundation for our future,” Bruna Bouhid-Sollod, DACA recipient and United We Dream Senior Communications Manager, said.

“Homeownership is a cornerstone of the American dream, it is unacceptable that this administration has been unjustly denying FHA loans to DACA recipients because of their status.  This administration has time and time again found ways to punish DACA recipients and close the door on them from the opportunities they deserve. The Homeownership for DREAMers Act will ensure that DACA recipients are not discriminated against when pursuing their dream of buying a home and continuing to build their future in this country,” Itzel Hernandez, DACA recipient and Immigrant Rights Organizer with the American Friends Service Committee Immigrant Rights Program in New Jersey, said.

The Homeownership for Dreamers Act is supported by UnidosUS, United We Dream, National Fair Housing Alliance, Asian Real Estate Association of America (AREAA), National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP), Mortgage Bankers, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.

The text of the legislation is available here.