[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 129 (Thursday, September 23, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Page S7415]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                             THE DREAM ACT

  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I rise today to express my support for the 
DREAM Act amendment to the 2010 National Defense Administration Act. 
This is bipartisan legislation that provides sound economic and 
national security benefits to our Nation.
  I have long supported the DREAM Act primarily because it provides a 
pathway forward for young men and women who have played by the rules 
all of their lives, graduated high school and now want to give back to 
this country. These are young people who had no say in how or when they 
came to our country, but somehow, their parents or other relatives 
brought them here to live a better life.
  Now, we could spend an infinite amount of time debating what to do 
with the undocumented adults who have come to the U.S.--and I hope that 
we do eventually get to that debate--but the focus of this measure is 
the children. We are talking about the innocent children, who, for the 
most part, have known no other home than America and deserve a way 
forward now that they are reaching adulthood.
  Every year, thousands of undocumented students who live in the United 
States graduate from high school. Among these students you will find 
valedictorians, honor roll students, and community leaders who are 
committed to the United States and their local communities. It is 
estimated that there are 65,000 such young people who graduate from 
high school in the United States and find themselves unable to work, go 
to college, or serve this country in the military.
  The young people who would be DREAM Act eligible would have graduated 
high school, passed a background check and be of good moral character. 
It is why the DREAM Act is supported by the Secretary of the Department 
of Education, the National Education Association, the Association of 
American Universities and many others. Leading businesses like 
Microsoft endorse the DREAM Act because they recognize these young 
people are talented and can be a benefit to U.S. businesses in this 
global economy. DREAM Act-eligible young people are exactly the type of 
individuals we want to be part of our great society.
  The DREAM Act is a smart, targeted piece of legislation that will 
only benefit children who were brought to this country before the age 
of 16 and have been living here for at least 5 years.
  From an economic perspective, the DREAM Act provides clear fiscal 
benefits to our local communities and our Nation. State and local 
taxpayers have invested time and money in these young people through 
elementary and secondary education expecting that eventually they will 
become contributing, tax-paying members of our society. With education 
budgets as tight as they are, why would any community throw away such 
an investment?
  Take this for example: a young immigrant who graduates from college 
will pay $5,300 more in taxes and cost taxpayers $3,900 less in 
government expenses each year than if he or she dropped out of high 
school. Additionally, our own Department of Defense recommended in 
their 2010-2012 strategic plan the passage of the DREAM Act to help the 
military ``share and maintain a mission-ready All Volunteer Force.'' 
The former Secretary of the Army, Louis Caldera, stated ``the DREAM Act 
will materially expand the pool of individuals qualified, ready and 
willing to serve their country in uniform.'' The DREAM Act provides a 
smart and narrow pathway for eligible young people to go on to college 
or enter our military.
  Lastly, supporting the DREAM Act is the proper next step toward 
taking up comprehensive immigration reform. The American people have 
spoken on this issue. They would like Congress to step up and deal with 
this issue. According to a recent Fox News poll, 68 percent of voters, 
including Republicans, Democrats and Independents, say that efforts to 
secure the border should be combined with reform of Federal immigration 
laws. I agree, which is why I voted in favor of providing $600 million 
for 1,500 new border patrol agents, additional monitoring and 
communications equipment in August. That funding and those resources 
were an important step to ensure our Nation's borders are secure; just 
like passing the DREAM Act is an important step to ensure our country 
has the best and brightest individuals contributing to our economy and 
society.
  Additionally, the DREAM Act has traditionally been a bipartisan 
effort. During this Congress Senator Durbin and Senator Lugar 
introduced the legislation. But in the 108th Congress the legislation 
had the support of Senator Hatch, Senator Grassley, Senator Kyl and 
Senator Cornyn. During the last Congress, 23 Republican Senators voted 
in favor of this legislation when it was offered as an amendment to the 
comprehensive immigration reform bill. There is a strong bipartisan 
history to this legislation and strong public support.
  No child should be held accountable for the sins of their parents. 
This targeted, bipartisan legislation recognizes this fact and shows 
compassion to the innocent. It provides a pathway forward for young men 
and women who have played by the rules all of their lives, graduated 
high school and now want to give back to this country. These are young 
people who truly deserve a second chance. I urge my colleagues to 
support this legislation.

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