{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://cooper.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/at-news-conference-cooper-criticizes-president-s-daca-decision", "At News Conference, Cooper Criticizes Presidents DACA Decision", "2017-09-05", "2017", "2017-09", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Jim Cooper", "C000754", "cooper.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "NASHVILLE \u2013 Surrounded by DREAMers and other leaders of Nashville\u2019s vibrant immigrant community, U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper (TN-5) today criticized President Trump\u2019s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, citing the innocence, hard work and future of those affected.\n\u201cYou were brought here through no fault of your own,\u201d Rep. Cooper said this morning at Casa Azafr\u00e1n. \u201cIt\u2019s not your fault you didn\u2019t have paperwork when you were 2 or 3 years old. But you\u2019ve done everything right. You\u2019re working hard in school, you have bright futures, and we want your future to be here in the United States of America. \u2026 I am thankful for your presence in this country. I am thankful for your innocence and your hard work.\u201d\nFormer President Barack Obama started DACA after Congress failed to agree on comprehensive immigration reform. The program has granted permits to an estimated 750,000 young people \u2013 known as \u201cDREAMers\u201d \u2013 who arrived in America as children. Immediately before Rep. Cooper spoke at Casa Azafr\u00e1n, President Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that DACA would be terminated unless Congress acts on a legislative solution within six months.\nRep. Cooper said there was \u201cgood news\u201d and \u201chope,\u201d pointing out that Tennessee\u2019s two U.S. senators, Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker, supported comprehensive immigration reform as recently as 2013. But Rep. Cooper said the president\u2019s decision unnecessarily places innocent young people in \u201ca terrible limbo\u201d and squanders a variety of benefits America otherwise would enjoy.\n\u201cTo throw that away, as the president\u2019s policy is suggesting, would be just shooting ourselves in the foot,\u201d Rep. Cooper said. \u201cAmerica needs you.\u201d\nAs the only member of Tennessee\u2019s congressional delegation to vote for the DREAM Act in 2010, Rep. Cooper continues to favor a long-term legislative solution and a path to citizenship for DREAMers.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://cooper.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/at-news-conference-cooper-criticizes-president-s-daca-decision"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.7054332420229912, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}