[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 112 (Friday, July 13, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9201-S9203]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
DREAM ACT
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, last month we had a controversial and
spirited debate over immigration. It went on for several weeks on the
floor of the Senate, and many Members of the Senate thought about it
and voted one way or the other.
The net result is that nothing happened. That is unfortunate.
Everybody concedes our immigration laws have broken down. About 600,000
illegal people come into the United States each year and stay. Over 20
years, we now have 12 million people. The number continues to grow.
The lure of the United States is overwhelming. It is a lure which
brought my grandparents and my mother to this country as immigrants.
They wanted to be part of America. They were willing to leave their
village in Lithuania and the comfort there for an opportunity. They
came here, struggled and sacrificed, as immigrants do. They became
Americans, and I think in a small way our family has made a difference
in this country.
Now, repeat that story millions of times, and that is who we are as a
nation. We are people who were unhappy, dissatisfied with what we had,
saw America as a better chance, and came here.
People continue to come here. Our borders cannot hold them back at
this moment. So we debated about making those borders stronger, having
more enforcement in the workplace. We debated about: How many workers
do we need each year to pick our crops and do our work, in addition to
the American workforce? And what will we do with the 12 million who are
here?
It was a big bill. The debate went on for 3 weeks, which is a long
time by Senate standards. At the end of the debate, we could not pass
it. We did not have the 60 votes. We were not even close. We had 46
votes cast in favor of comprehensive immigration reform.
There were aspects of that bill, though, that we should not abandon.
There were parts of it we have to return to. I think we need to return
to enforcement so our borders are safer, so there are fewer
undocumented immigrants crossing into the United States. I think we
need enforcement in the workplace to make sure employers meet their
responsibilities.
But there are several other parts of the bill which we cannot ignore
either. Senator Dianne Feinstein of California has been a leader on the
issue of agricultural workers. In her bountiful State, the fruits and
vegetables will, frankly, spoil in the fields if they do not bring in
workers to pick them and harvest them. Americans are not lining up for
these jobs. They are hard, dirty, sweaty, tough jobs. Immigrants will
come and do it. They have done it before. She is trying to permit the
ag workers, under the law, come and do this work. Otherwise, we are
going to lose a lot of our agriculture in America.
There is another aspect of the law which is near and dear to me.
Consider someone undocumented or illegal who comes to the United States
and brings a child. It happens. That child may come at a very early
age, maybe a baby in arms, or 1 or 2 years old, and that child will be
raised in the United States, go through school, and reach a point in
their life where they do not know any other place but America. They did
not choose this country. Their parents chose it. They did not come here
because of any thought about being illegal. They came here with their
families.
What I tried to do several years ago was to write a law to take into
consideration these young people. It is called the DREAM Act. The DREAM
Act was a part of this comprehensive immigration reform bill. Here is
what it says: If you came to the United States before the age of 16, if
you have lived in this country for at least 5 years, if you graduate
from high school, and then if you will complete either 2 years of
college or 2 years of service in the military, we will give you an
opportunity for legal status in America.
I have met these kids--young men and women. What a waste it would be
to turn them away. Currently, that is all our law can do--to say to
them: If your parents were undocumented and illegal, you have no place
in America. At a time when we are importing talent and labor from other
places, why would we turn these young people away?
First, they beat the odds. Only half, for example, of undocumented
kids graduate from high school. These kids have to graduate from high
school to even have a chance to become legal.
Second, they are going to do more with their lives. That is why I
wanted to raise the issue very briefly this morning.
On the floor of the Senate, when we return next week, we will resume
consideration of the Defense authorization bill. It turns out that many
in the Department of Defense believe, as I do, that the DREAM Act is an
important part of making certain we have talented young men and women
ready to serve in our military. I have spoken to people at the
Department of Defense who support the idea of the DREAM Act. I think we
ought to include it in the Defense authorization bill. I hope to have
that opportunity.
For the tens of thousands of young people across America who want a
chance to be part of America, to contribute to America, the DREAM Act
is their opportunity. They have to work their way into it. They have to
prove themselves or they will not have a chance.
The nice thing about this amendment is both sides of the aisle agree
on it. We have strong bipartisan sponsorship of this amendment. Senator
Chuck Hagel, Republican of Nebraska; and Senator Dick Lugar, Republican
of Indiana; are cosponsors. They agree with me that this is a good move
forward and encourage Congress to consider it.
I hope when we return to the Defense authorization bill we can make
the DREAM Act part of that bill. Certainly, it is going to help our
defense and help our military. I think it is going to help America even
beyond that.
Those young men and women, given a chance to serve in the military,
will be
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citizens of this country someday who will make an important
contribution, as all of our veterans do. Those who choose to go to
college are on a path to becoming tomorrow's doctors and nurses and
researchers and businesspeople--the kind of energy every society needs
and the kind of energy that has built this great country we have today.
Mr. President, as I said, I rise to speak about legislation known as
the DREAM Act, which I hope to offer as an amendment to the Defense
authorization bill.
The DREAM Act is a narrowly tailored, bipartisan measure that I have
sponsored with Republican Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska and
Republican Senator Dick Lugar of Indiana.
I want to thank the cosponsors of this amendment, all of whom are
also cosponsors of the DREAM Act: Senators Hagel, Lugar, Leahy, Obama,
Lieberman, Feinstein, Kerry, Feingold, Clinton, Bayh, Menendez, Murray,
Boxer, and Cantwell.
The DREAM Act would give a select group of undocumented students the
chance to become permanent residents if they came to this country as
children, are long-term U.S. residents, have good moral character, and
enlist in the military or attend college for at least 2 years.
The DREAM Act is supported by a broad bipartisan coalition in the
Senate, and by military leaders, religious leaders, and educators from
across the political spectrum and around the country.
During the 109th Congress, the DREAM Act was adopted unanimously as
an amendment to immigration reform legislation that passed the Senate.
In the 108th Congress, the DREAM Act was the only immigration reform
proposal reported to the Senate floor, on a bipartisan 16-to-3 vote in
the Judiciary Committee.
And the DREAM Act was included in the immigration bill that was
considered on the Senate floor last month.
Some people might ask why the Senate should revisit immigration again
and whether an immigration amendment should be included in the Defense
authorization bill. The answer is simple: The DREAM Act would address a
very serious recruitment crisis that faces our military.
Under the DREAM Act, tens of thousands of well-qualified potential
recruits would become eligible for military service for the first time.
They are eager to serve in the Armed Forces during a time of war. And
under the DREAM Act they would have a very strong incentive to enlist
because it would give them a path to permanent legal status.
Let me begin by explaining the recruitment crisis that faces the
Defense Department today.
Largely due to the war in Iraq, the Army is struggling to meet its
recruitment quotas.
Just yesterday, the Army announced that it had missed its recruiting
goal for June. The Army fell more than 1,000 recruits short of its
monthly quota of 8,400. And this is the second straight month that the
Army has missed its recruitment target.
Because of these recruitment difficulties, the Army is accepting more
applicants who are high school dropouts, have low scores on the
military's aptitude test, and have criminal backgrounds.
The statistics speak volumes. In 2006, almost 40 percent of Army
recruits had below average scores on the military aptitude test. That
is the highest rate since 1985.
In 2006, almost 20 percent of Army recruits did not have a high
school degree. This is the highest rate of high school dropouts
enlisting in the Army since 1981. By comparison, from 1984 to 2004, 90
percent or more of Army recruits had high school diplomas.
Why does this matter? The Army says high school graduation ``is the
best single predictor of stick-to-it-iveness'' that is required to
succeed in the military.
And Charles Moskos, a Northwestern University sociologist who is an
expert in military culture, said ``the more dropouts [who enlist], the
more discipline problems'' the Army is likely to have.
Even more disturbing, the number of so-called moral waivers for Army
recruits who have committed crimes has increased by 65 percent in the
last 3 years, from 4,918 in 2003 to 8,129 in 2006. Many of these
waivers are for serious crimes such as aggravated assault, burglary,
robbery, and vehicular homicide.
In fact, individuals with criminal backgrounds were 11.7 percent of
the 2006 recruiting class.
In contrast, under the DREAM Act, all recruits would be well-
qualified high school graduates with good moral character.
Let me explain in more detail how the DREAM Act would work.
Currently, our immigration laws prevent thousands of young people
from pursuing their dreams and fully contributing to our Nation's
future. Their parents brought them to the United States when they were
children. For many, this is the only home they know. They are fully
assimilated into American society and they want nothing more than to be
Americans.
They have beaten the odds in their young lives. The high school
dropout rate among undocumented immigrants is 50 percent compared to 21
percent for legal immigrants and 11 percent for native-born Americans.
These children have demonstrated the kind of determination and
commitment that makes them successful students and points the way to
the significant contributions they will make in their lives. They are
junior ROTC leaders, honor roll students, and valedictorians. They are
tomorrow's soldiers, doctors, nurses, teachers, and Senators.
Over the years, I have met many of these DREAM Act kids, as they call
themselves. Let me give you one example. Oscar Vasquez was brought to
Phoenix, AZ, by his parents when he was 12.
Oscar is a born leader and was naturally drawn to the military. He
spent his high school years in Junior ROTC, and dreamed of enlisting in
the military. At the end of his junior year a recruiting officer told
Oscar that he was ineligible for military service because he was
undocumented.
Oscar was devastated, but he found another outlet for his talent. Two
energetic science teachers had enrolled Oscar's high school in the
college division of a robot competition sponsored by NASA.
Oscar and three other undocumented students worked for months in a
windowless storage room in their high school, and tested their
invention at a scuba training pool on the weekends. Competing against
students from MIT and other top universities, Oscar's team won first
place in the robot competition.
Oscar has since graduated. He hangs sheetrock for a living; it is the
best job he could get without a college education or the opportunity to
enlist in the military. He hopes to save his money and study
engineering at Arizona State University some day.
Couldn't America use Oscar's talent? Couldn't our military use
someone like Oscar?
The DREAM Act would help students like Oscar. It is not an amnesty.
It is designed to assist only a select group of young people who would
be required to earn their way to legal status.
The fundamental premise of the DREAM Act is that we should not punish
children for mistakes that their parents made. That is not the American
way.
The DREAM Act says to these students: America will give you a chance.
We will give you the opportunity to earn your way to legal status if
you meet the following requirements: came to the United States when you
were 15 or younger; have lived here for at least 5 years; have good
moral character; graduate from high school; and serve in the military
or attend college for at least 2 years.
The DREAM Act doesn't mandate military service. A student who is
otherwise eligible could earn legal status by attending college. It
would be inconsistent with the spirit our volunteer military to force
young people to enlist as a condition for obtaining legal status.
But the DREAM Act creates a strong incentive for military service.
And many DREAM Act kids come from a demographic group that is already
predisposed towards military service. A 2004 survey by the Rand
Corporation found that 45 percent of Hispanic males and 31 percent of
Hispanic females between ages 16 and 21 were very likely to serve in
the Armed Forces, compared to 24 percent of White men and 10 percent of
White women.
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It is important to note that immigrants have an outstanding tradition
of service in the military. There are currently 35,000 noncitizens
serving in the military, and about 8,000 more enlist each year.
A recent study by the Center for Naval Analyses concluded:
Non-citizens have high rates of success while serving [in
the military]--they are far more likely, for example, to
fulfill their enlistment obligations than their U.S.-born
counterparts.
The study also concluded that there are additional benefits to
enlisting noncitizens. For example, noncitizens ``are more diverse than
citizen recruits--not just racially and ethnically, but also
linguistically and culturally. This diversity is particularly valuable
as the United States faces the challenges of the Global War on
Terrorism.''
The DREAM Act is not just the right thing to do; it would be good for
America. The DREAM Act would allow a generation of immigrant students
with great potential and ambitions to contribute to the military and
other sectors of American society.
The Pentagon recognizes that. We have worked closely with them on the
DREAM Act.
Bill Carr, the Acting Undersecretary of Defense for Military
Personnel Policy, recently said that the DREAM Act is ``very
appealing'' to the military because it would apply to the ``cream of
the crop'' of students. Mr. Carr concluded that the DREAM Act would be
``good for [military] readiness.''
And last year, at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the
contributions of immigrants to the military, David Chu, the
Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, testified as
follows:
There are an estimated 50,000 to 65,000 undocumented alien
young adults who entered the U.S. at an early age and
graduate from high school each year, many of whom are bright,
energetic and potentially interested in military service.
They include many who have participated in high school Junior
ROTC programs. Under current law, these young people are not
eligible to enlist in the military. . . . Yet many of these
young people may wish to join the military, and have the
attributes needed--education, aptitude, fitness, and moral
qualifications. . . . the DREAM Act would provide these young
people the opportunity of serving the United States in
uniform.
Military experts agree. Margaret Stock, a professor at the U.S.
Military Academy at West Point, said:
Passage of the DREAM Act would be highly beneficial to the
United States military. The DREAM Act promises to enlarge
dramatically the pool of highly qualified recruits for the
U.S. Armed Forces. . . . passage of this bill could well
solve the Armed Forces' enlisted recruiting woes.
Conservative military scholar Max Boot agrees. When asked about the
DREAM Act, he said:
It's a substantial pool of people and I think it's crazy we
are not tapping into it.
These experts are right. DREAM Act kids are ideal recruits: they are
high school graduates, they have good moral character, and they
desperately want to serve this country. At the time when the military
has been forced to lower its standards due to recruitment shortfalls,
we should not underestimate the significance of these young people as a
national security asset.
This is the choice the DREAM Act presents to us. We can allow a
generation of immigrant students with great potential and ambitions to
contribute more fully to our society and national security, or we can
relegate them to a future in the shadows, which would be a loss for all
Americans.
Mr. President, I encourage my colleagues to consider the DREAM Act as
an amendment to this Defense authorization bill as part of our national
security. We will have a chance to debate it in its entirety, and I
will return to it when we come back to this bill next week.
Mr. President, I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Arizona.
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