[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 171 (Thursday, November 19, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8150-S8151]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           THE ANNIVERSARY OF EXECUTIVE ACTION ON IMMIGRATION

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, a year ago today, in a nationwide address, 
President Obama announced a series of measures to improve our broken 
immigration system. He outlined efforts to focus scarce resources on 
identifying and deporting those people who pose a danger to our 
communities, to modernize our legal immigration system, and to provide 
temporary relief from the threat of deportation for hard-working, law-
abiding members of our communities. For many, the President's 
announcement offered at last a hope for stability. It acknowledged the 
longstanding presence and contributions of immigrants to our country.
  But the President's announcement also underscored the real human 
consequences of the House of Representatives failing to allow a vote to 
reform our immigration laws. Importantly, it highlighted the 
impracticality of deporting 11 million undocumented immigrants. Many of 
them have strong family ties in the United States and a deep desire to 
become fully integrated in our country. They are mothers and fathers, 
sisters and brothers, sons and daughters. To suggest that we can simply 
remove them is unrealistic and it would conflict with fundamental 
American values.
  The President's Executive action is no substitute for legislation. He 
reminded critics of that very fact during his address, pointing out 
that the commonsense, responsible solution to the problems in our 
immigration system is to pass a comprehensive reform bill. A year 
later, the Republican-led Senate has failed to debate, let alone pass 
meaningful immigration reform. Instead, it has repeatedly taken up 
divisive and partisan proposals that do not reflect a desire to fix 
what we all agree is a broken system.
  These political gimmicks are not serious attempts to address an issue 
as important as immigration and could not be more different from what 
the Democratic-led Senate accomplished in 2013 when we passed a 
bipartisan immigration bill supported by 68 Senators. During the Senate 
Judiciary Committee's consideration of the Border Security, Economic 
Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act, I convened multiple 
hearings, and we heard from 42 witnesses. Government officials and 
individuals representing a range of perspectives--including law 
enforcement, civil rights, labor, faith, business, and State and local 
governments--testified about the challenges confronting our current 
immigration system.
  We heard the powerful testimony of witnesses such as Jose Antonio 
Vargas and Gaby Pacheco who pressed the urgent need for immigration 
reform. The compelling stories of DREAMers, young immigrants brought to 
this country as children, who have grown up as Americans and have every 
desire to make meaningful contributions to their communities, continue 
to inspire.

[[Page S8151]]

Many of them have qualified for the temporary relief provided by the 
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, DACA, program, which has 
established a path for them to become our next generation of teachers, 
engineers, public servants, and doctors. Our Senate-passed, 
comprehensive bill included the DREAM Act, an important measure that 
would have provided a long-lasting solution to the problems these 
courageous young individuals face, acknowledging that they deserve to 
be part of our Nation's future.
  The Senate-passed bill would have addressed many of the injustices in 
our current immigration system. It was a remarkable example of all that 
we can accomplish when we actually focus on the hard job of 
legislating. But the Republican-led House of Representatives blocked 
that effort. It stubbornly refused to even allow a vote on that bill. 
Given that lack of action, I understand the President's frustration and 
motivation. His Executive action was a response to what we all 
acknowledge is a broken system, but it is no substitute for 
comprehensive immigration reform.
  Following the President's announcement, the Senate Judiciary 
Committee held a hearing on the Executive action program and heard the 
testimony of Astrid Silva. Hers is a fundamentally American story. It 
is similar in many ways to those of our parents and grandparents. It is 
a story of a family looking to find a better life. Astrid qualifies for 
the President's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, DACA, program. 
And her parents would be eligible for the Deferred Action for Parents 
of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents, DAPA, program because her 
younger brother is a U.S. citizen. For more than 20 years, Astrid's 
family has been working hard and contributing to their local community. 
They are the kind of family we want to have as our neighbors and 
coworkers. Their stories remind us that their dreams, along with those 
of so many others affected by our dysfunctional immigration system, 
hang in the balance, and underscore the need for a permanent 
legislative solution.
  Some in Congress claim that the President's executive action 
undermined the prospect of achieving comprehensive immigration reform. 
But I remind them that the President's action--prompted by 
congressional inaction--is not an excuse for continued congressional 
inaction. We must keep working to find a permanent legislative solution 
that provides today's immigrants with an opportunity to prosper and 
contribute to our country. As families across the Nation gather next 
week around the table to give thanks, we will all count our family 
members and their security among our greatest blessings. Our fight for 
comprehensive immigration reform is at its core a fight to help reunite 
families and provide the security that we all want for our loved ones. 
I urge Republicans to return to the cooperative and bipartisan approach 
of 2013 and work on comprehensive immigration reform legislation. The 
American people support immigration reform. It is the right thing to 
do, and it should not be delayed any longer.

                          ____________________