“My U.S. citizen brothers standing here with me agree: we want Omar to get a path to citizenship, and we are paying attention to who from our elected officials support our brother.”
DALLAS, TX – Today, the American Business Immigration Coalition Action (ABIC), Comité de 100, business leaders, lawmakers, and Sigma Lambda Beta fraternity brothers came together in Dallas to urge the release of Omar Salazar, a former valedictorian, local entrepreneur and Dreamer who has been held at Bluebonnet Detention Center since September 2025 with no prior criminal record. The group, which included Omar’s U.S. citizen-spouse, renewed calls for federal legislation that would secure permanent status and citizenship for Dreamers nationwide.
Dreamers are integral to the fabric of local communities and the broader U.S. economy. Annually, DACA recipients and their families generate more than $6 billion in federal tax revenue and $3 billion in state and local taxes. The loss of DACA protections would not only disrupt the lives of nearly half a million workers, but also jeopardize over 160,000 jobs created by DACA entrepreneurs. Last year, ABIC commissioned two polls with American Viewpoint and The Tarrance Group. They surveyed over 800 voters in key battleground states, showing that 88% of voters, including 89% of Hispanic voters, support a path to legal status for Dreamers like Omar Salazar.
Speakers at the event underscored that Dreamers are more than statistics: they are innovators, job creators, beloved family members, and leaders who strengthen neighborhoods and drive economic growth. Legislative solutions like the DREAM and DIGNITY Acts would help address ongoing labor shortages, keep families together, and unlock the full potential of immigrants like Omar.
To view a recording of the press conference, click here.
Juan Carlos Cerda, Texas State Director, American Business Immigration Coalition Action: “When voters elected President Trump, they voted for secure borders; they did not vote for Omar to be arrested and deported. 59% of Hispanic voters disapprove of deporting Dreamers like Omar. Today, we ask that Omar be released and for Dreamers to get a path to citizenship, whether it’s through The Dream Act or The Dignity Act.”
Ella Salazar, Wife of Omar Salazar:
“Getting married without my family present was very hard the first time. I never imagined that we’d be faced with the possibility of having to do it again. The United States is the only home that we’ve ever known. And I ask our lawmakers, please let Omar stay.”
U.S. Representative Julie Johnson (TX-32):
“Instead of allowing Omar to continue contributing, to innovate, to create jobs, to strengthen the community he loves, ICE made a different choice. They came for him, they took him, and they locked him behind bars in a detention center as if he were a danger to our society. A person like Omar and his fellow Dreamers live in a constant state of legal confusion, not knowing their status or legal process to follow, trying to navigate a difficult and expensive immigration system that makes absolutely no sense. This is wrong, and it is our responsibility in Washington to create a process for Omar and his fellow Dreamers to follow so they don’t need to be in fear of being deported from their own home.”
Jacob Monty, Managing Partner, Monty & Ramirez LLP:
“Omar Salazar represents the best of us, not the worst of us. Folks, certain parts of immigration law can be controversial. Reasonable minds could differ about asylum levels, or immigration quotas per country. But we’re here today to talk about Omar Salazar and Ella Salazar, and this case is not controversial. Everyone can agree on that.”
Texas State Representative Ramon Romero (TX-90), Chairman, Mexican American Legislative Caucus:
“We have not moved fast enough and we have to deliver permanent solutions for dreamers like Omar. And the gap that he finds himself in is what’s left Omar exposed right now.
Texas State Representative Rafael Anchia (TX-103):
“I want to emphasize that [Omar] being in our community is a benefit for the United States. Him, Omar, being in our community is a benefit for our country, one that needs to be recognized and can’t be denied. To our authorities, judges and others in this administration, I want to say clearly that our society, our country, our community needs Omar. We need resources, people, leaders like this young man, to be in our community because it benefits us as a country.”
John Martinez, President/CEO, Regional Hispanic Contractors Association:
“We’re proud that we live in a country that when you get here and you work hard and you’re humble enough to move forward, that we’re going to create a space for you. He (Omar) is American in every way except by birth.”
Luis Rodriguez, SMU and Sigma Lambda Beta Fraternity alumnus, joined by a dozen fellow fraternity brothers:
“My U.S. citizen brothers standing here with me agree: we want Omar to get a path to citizenship, and we are paying attention to who from our elected officials support our brother. That’s why I respectfully ask our lawmakers and President Trump to allow Omar the chance to stay here legally—to live, work, and enrich the country he calls home.“