[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 37 (Tuesday, March 3, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S2716]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. DODD:
  S. 517. 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, 20, and Alejandro, 21, are natives of Colombia who came to the 
U.S. with their parents in August 1990 on B-2 visitors visas and reside 
in Miami, FL. Their parents were deported on October 30, 2007. Their 
initial departure date was September 14, 2007, but because of 
legislation introduced last Congress that date was extended. However, 
now they have been ordered to report for deportation on March 15, 2009. 
Juan and Alejandro have lived continuously in the U.S. for the last 18 
years. They have both graduated from Miami Killian High School. Juan is 
a student at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Alejandro is a 
student at Miami Dade Community College and works at the Biltmore Hotel 
in Miami. 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 are not 
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 last Congress, 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 stalled in the Senate. I would hope that 
consideration could be given to delinking the DREAM Act from the larger 
bill so that we can put in place a legal framework for dealing with 
young people similar in circumstances to Juan and Alejandro 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 reintroduce a private bill on their 
behalf. I will also be writing to Senator Charles Schumer, 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 have had the opportunity to meet Juan and Alejandro. 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.
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