[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 137 (Monday, September 17, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S11592]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. DODD:
  S. 2055. A bill for the relief of Alejandro Gomez and Juan Sebastian 
Gomez; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
  Mr. DODD. Mr. President, today I send to the desk a private relief 
bill to provide permanent resident status to Juan and Alejandro Gomez, 
and ask that it be appropriately referred.
  Juan, 18, and Alejandro, 20, are natives of Colombia who came to the 
U.S. with their parents in August 1990 on B-2 visitors visas. They 
currently reside in Miami, FL with their parents. They are now the 
subjects of an October 14, 2007, voluntary departure date under an 
order of deportation. The date of their departure has been extended 
from September 14, 2007. Juan and Alejandro have lived continuously in 
the U.S. for the last 17 years. They have both graduated from Miami 
Killian High School and are currently enrolled in Miami Dade Community 
College. They have the strong support of their community. It would be 
an extreme hardship to uproot Juan and Alejandro from their community, 
which has wholeheartedly embraced them, to send them back to Colombia 
where there lives could be in serious danger.
  We all know that the circumstances of Juan and Alejandro aren't 
unique. Just like many other children here illegally, they had no 
control over their parents' decision to overstay their visas a number 
of years ago. Most of these young people work hard to complete school 
and contribute to their communities. Cases like Juan's and Alejandro's 
are the reason why the so called DREAM Act was attached to the 
comprehensive immigration reform legislation that the Senate attempted 
to pass earlier this year, only to face a filibuster from opponents of 
any comprehensive immigration reform proposal.
  The DREAM Act has broad partisan support and is not the reason that 
the immigration bill has stalled in the Senate. I would hope that 
consideration could be given to de-linking the DREAM Act from the 
larger bill so that we can put in place a legal framework for dealing 
with young people who are caught in this unfortunate immigration 
status. But that is not likely to happen soon enough to address the 
problems confronting Juan and Alejandro.
  That is why I have decided to introduce a private bill on their 
behalf. I will also be writing to Senator Edward Kennedy, Chairman of 
the Subcommittee on Immigration to request, pursuant to the 
Subcommittee's Rules of Procedure, that the Subcommittee formally 
request an expedited departmental report from the Bureau of Citizenship 
and Immigration Services regarding the Gomez brothers so that the 
Subcommittee can then move forward to give consideration to this bill 
as soon as possible.
  I had an opportunity to meet Juan and Alejandro recently. They 
believe that America is their home. They love our country and want to 
have an opportunity to fulfill their dreams of becoming full 
participants in this country. Passage of the private bill would give 
them that opportunity. I look forward to working with the Subcommittee 
to facilitate its passage.
                                 ______