[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 162 (Thursday, December 9, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2097]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    DEVELOPMENT, RELIEF, AND EDUCATION FOR ALIEN MINORS ACT OF 2010

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. BRIAN P. BILBRAY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 8, 2010

  Mr. BILBRAY. Mr. Speaker, one of our Nation's most core beliefs is 
that everyone is equal before the law. From the richest men and women, 
to the poorest we are all subject to the laws of our country. Today 
though, we have gathered to debate a bill, the Development, Relief, and 
Education for Alien Minors Act, that would undermine that very 
principle and reward individuals who have broken our laws at the 
expense of those who have followed them.
  The so-called ``DREAM'' Act, a bill that would establish a pathway to 
citizenship for illegal immigrants as old as 29, as long as they 
arrived before age 16, based on the promise that they will complete two 
years of college or serve in our armed forces. Importantly, for the 
first time ever, this bill would equate a willingness to serve in 
defense of our country with just two years of a college education. This 
vote is a slap in the face to the dedicated men and women in our 
military who have spent, in many cases, years working toward legal 
immigration to our country.
  Moreover, it sends a mixed message to those one day hoping to call 
themselves Americans, effectively encouraging them to come to this 
country illegally and break our laws. Unfortunately, all too often we 
have seen the direct impact these mixed messages have had, which have 
put would-be immigrants at great risk. This includes the 72 would-be 
illegal immigrants who were murdered by drug cartels in Mexico this 
August as well as the human trafficking ring that was broken up in 
Phoenix last week where nearly a dozen smuggled children were being 
held for ransom.
  The immigration system in our country is undoubtedly broken. Today, 
there are more than 12 million illegal immigrants residing in the U.S., 
but this bill does nothing to address the underlying causes of illegal 
immigration or create a single job during the largest economic 
recession in more than a generation. Instead, this bill proposes a 
massive amnesty for what the Congressional Budget Office projects will 
be 1.1 million individuals at a time when we already have 9.8 percent 
unemployment.
  I suppose it is fitting then that the House had to break its own 
rules to even begin debate on the DREAM Act. Earlier today, the House 
passed a resolution that exempts the DREAM Act from the rules that we 
obey in the House of Representatives in order to bring this bill up 
with less than one day's notice and without any opportunity for 
amendment. Beyond that, this Congress has failed to even hold a hearing 
on the DREAM Act over the last 2 years. And now, we have been asked to 
vote on this legislation in the dead of night and in the waning days of 
this Congress and let me be clear: this is unacceptable. The American 
people deserve better than this. They deserve an open debate before the 
people where there is an opportunity for amendments to be made. They 
deserve the rule of law to be followed.
  As the proud son of an Australian immigrant, I firmly believe that we 
are a nation of immigrants, but we are also a nation of laws. For that 
reason, I strongly oppose the DREAM Act and the circumstances in which 
it was brought up for debate. Going forward, I will do everything in my 
power to ensure Congress focuses on real immigration reform that 
enforces the rule of law and addresses the root causes of illegal 
immigration: employers who hire illegal labor.

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