[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 98 (Thursday, June 18, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E932]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    THIRD ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEFERRED ACTION FOR CHILDHOOD ARRIVALS

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                          HON. XAVIER BECERRA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 18, 2015

  Mr. BECERRA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mark the third anniversary 
of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program 
established by President Barack Obama and which has transformed the 
lives of over half a million young people in our country.
  The DACA program has given aspiring Americans of immigrant heritage 
across our country the chance to more fully contribute their talents to 
our society and aid in our nation's economic recovery.
  I think of DREAMers like Jose Garcia, a young student from Los 
Angeles who was just accepted to Harvard University and is a DACA 
recipient. Because he was able to apply for DACA, his hard work in 
school paid off and now he can pursue a college education in the only 
country he has ever known.
  Since the DACA program began in 2012, there are more than 261,000 
young women and men in California, who like Jose, have been approved 
for DACA.
  Today, on the third anniversary of DACA, we are here to say that we 
are ready and waiting for that opportunity to help all of these 
families who want to come out of the shadows. We're ready for the 
President's executive actions on expanded DACA and the Deferred Action 
Program for Parents (DAPA) to move forward.
  We're ready--estamos listos. Y le digo a nuestras familias 
inmigrantes que se preparen, porque ya llega el dia. [We're ready. And 
I want to tell our immigrant families to be prepared, because the day 
is coming].
  Ojala, en estos proximos meses, podemos darles a todos las buenas 
noticias que estos programas vitales del Presidente van a seguir 
adelante. [Hopefully, in the coming months, we will be able to convey 
the good news that the President's vital programs will be able to move 
forward].
  Mr. Speaker, our families and our communities look forward to 
progress on the President's executive actions as well as the day when 
we finally enact comprehensive immigration reform.

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