[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 97 (Wednesday, June 17, 2015)]
[House]
[Pages H4447-H4448]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 DACA HAS GIVEN A LIFELINE TO DREAMERS

  (Mr. POLIS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mark the 3-year anniversary 
of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, also called DACA. Roughly 
800,000 DREAMers across the country are able to work and go to school 
because of DACA. All these aspiring Americans want is to be able to 
contribute meaningfully to our society, and DACA has given them a 
lifeline to do that.
  I want to mark this occasion by sharing two stories of DREAMers in my 
district whose lives DACA has transformed. Johana Mejias is a young 
woman who came to the U.S. from Venezuela. She grew up in Boulder and 
attended CU, where she was an exceptional student. During high school, 
she wasn't able to participate in leadership conferences because of 
difficulty traveling within the U.S., and after college her lack of 
status initially prevented her from sitting for the medical school exam 
and participating in medical internships. Luckily DACA provided relief 
for Johana, and I am proud to say that she is currently in medical 
school.
  Marco Dorado is another young man in my district who attended CU. 
Marco came to the U.S. when he was 2 years old. DACA has provided a 
lifeline to Marco, enabling him to attend college and earn a degree in 
finance. He also served in student government as a tri-executive and 
president of external affairs.
  DACA has been a catalyst for so many aspiring Americans, but only

[[Page H4448]]

Congress can fix our broken immigration system. I call on us to do so.

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