Washington, DC - President Obama's decision to grant deferred action" to upwards of 800,000 DREAMERS goes into effect today and will give young immigrants the opportunity to access higher education and employment without fear of deportation. Following is a statement by SEIU President Mary Kay Henry:

"Today marks an important step forward in our fight for immigration reform as DREAMers everywhere begin to apply for deferred action. President Obama's bold action provides opportunity to young people who came to the United States with their parents to achieve more and continue their contributions to our country.

"Although President Obama has granted these young immigrants a chance at temporary reprieve, we are still far from achieving a permanent solution. We need all of the nation's policymakers to get on board and support comprehensive immigration reform that provides a pathway to citizenship. They can start by passing the DREAM Act.

"While it's clear that President Obama is working to fix our broken immigration system and values the contribution that these young immigrants make to our country, Mitt Romney has pledged to veto the DREAM Act, labeling it a 'handout' and has no clear roadmap for the millions of hard-working, aspiring citizens who are key to our economic future and who yearn to make a positive contribution to our nation.

"As communities and immigrant rights organizations today celebrate with public education events throughout the country, we will remember this day as the moment our young immigrant neighbors and friends reached one of their dreams as a result of their unrelenting activism and President Obama's leadership."

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