[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 131 (Wednesday, August 2, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4700-S4701]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                  DACA

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, many times over the last 6 months, I have 
come to the Senate to speak out on issues and to disagree with 
President Trump. It is clear that we have very profound political 
differences when it comes to the issues that face us, but I come to the 
floor this morning in an unusual position to express my gratitude to 
President Trump for a position he has taken, which I think is the right 
position for America.
  Let me explain. Five years ago, President Barack Obama created the 
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program, known as DACA. It 
enabled approximately 790,000 talented young people to contribute more 
fully to this country. They are teachers, nurses, engineers, small 
business owners, and more. DACA, which was an Executive action by 
President Obama, provides a temporary legal status to immigrant 
students who arrived in the United States as infants, toddlers, and 
children. They have to come forward under this Executive action and 
register with our government. They have to pay a substantial fee for 
processing. Then they have to submit themselves to a criminal and 
national security background check. If they are successful, they are 
given 2 years of temporary relief from deportation.
  This program is based on the Dream Act, a bill that I first 
introduced in the U.S. Senate 16 years ago--in 2001. That bill would 
give undocumented students who grew up in this country a chance to 
become legal and to earn their way to citizenship.
  These young people have come to be known as Dreamers. They came to 
the United States under the age of 16, some of them 1 or 2 years old. 
They grew up in the United States, going to our public schools, singing 
the ``Star Spangled Banner,'' pledging allegiance to the only flag they 
have ever known, the American flag. They are American in every way 
except for their immigration status. We have already invested in them, 
as you can tell--invested in their education, bringing them up in 
American schools. I can't believe it makes any sense for the future of 
our country to squander their talents by deporting them to countries 
that many of them have never known.
  A recent study by the Center for American Progress finds that ending 
DACA, President Obama's Executive action, would cost our economy at 
least $433 billion in gross domestic product over the next 10 years. 
The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy estimates that the 1.3 
million young people eligible for DACA pay $2 billion each year in 
State and local taxes.
  As I said at the beginning, I have had many differences with 
President Trump, particularly on the issue of immigration in some of 
the speeches and statements he has made, but I do appreciate--
personally appreciate--that this President has kept the DACA Program in 
place.
  I have spoken directly to President Trump only two times--three 
times, perhaps. The first two times--one on Inauguration Day--I thanked 
him for the kind words he had said about Dreamers and the DACA students 
and those protected by the President's Executive action.
  President Trump said to me: Don't worry about those kids.
  Well, Mr. President, I continue to worry about those kids. I worry 
about them now more than ever, not because I have heard any change of 
heart or reversal from you but because of other circumstances that are 
bringing this issue to a head. The Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton, 
and nine other States have threatened to sue you, Mr. President, unless 
by September 5 you rescind the memorandum that established DACA by 
President Obama and announce that your administration will not renew or 
issue any new DACA permits. This direct, specific threat to the DACA 
Program has left hundreds of thousands of these Dreamers anxious, 
concerned, and worried about their future.
  Last week I was joined by Senator Chuck Schumer, our Democratic 
leader, and 40 other Senate Democratic colleagues in writing a letter 
to President Trump, asking him to order his Attorney General, Jeff 
Sessions, to use all legal options to defend DACA so that these young 
people can continue to contribute to a country they love.
  Some of my friends on the other side of the aisle oppose the DACA 
Program. To them I say: If you don't support DACA, let's immediately 
pass the bipartisan Dream Act. If you think President Obama went beyond 
his Presidential authority with this Executive action, then let's take 
up this matter where it should be taken up, here in the legislative 
branch of the government in the U.S. Senate.
  I recently reintroduced the Dream Act with my friend and colleague, 
Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. Now that I am in the mood of thanking 
Republican leaders, including President Trump, let me thank Senator 
Lindsey Graham, as well as Senator Jeff Flake and Senator Lisa 
Murkowski. They have stepped forward to join me in cosponsoring this 
Dream Act.
  Our government should give these young people a chance to earn their 
way to citizenship. They were brought to this country as children. They 
didn't make the family decision to cross the border. They have been 
raised in this country. They have created no problems in terms of 
criminal background.

[[Page S4701]]

They have gone to our schools. All they are asking for is a chance.
  When we introduced the Dream Act a week or so ago, Senator Graham 
said that the young people who have received DACA should be treated 
fairly and not have the rug pulled out from under them. Lindsey Graham 
is right.
  Over the years, I have come to the floor nearly 100 times to tell the 
stories of these Dreamers and to make it personal so that we come to 
know who they are and why I have taken the time to make this a major 
part of my service in the Senate. These stories put a human face on the 
DACA Program and on the Dream Act. They show what immigration actually 
means to our country in real terms.
  This is Juan Martinez. When he was less than 2 years old, Juan was 
brought to America from Mexico. He grew up in Dallas, TX, with his 
parents and brothers. He was an honor student in high school. He 
graduated and was valedictorian of his class with a 3.9 GPA, a member 
of the National Honor Society, an active member of the debate team, and 
in student government.

  He was an accomplished student, but he was also a very active 
community volunteer. Juan helped organize food drives at the local food 
banks, he cared for children at recreation centers while their parents 
worked, and he volunteered in soup kitchens.
  In his senior year of high school, he applied to his dream school--
once my dream school--Georgetown University, and he was accepted. As a 
college student, Juan has studied international politics, concentrating 
on security, minoring in the Arabic language. In his first year of 
college, Juan was elected as a student senator.
  In his spare time here in Washington, he mentors disadvantaged high 
school students so that they can apply successfully for college. His 
dream one day is to work for our government, to help our country--the 
country that he calls home--and to make the world a safer place.
  Juan sent me a letter, and this is what he said:

       Thanks to DACA I can focus on my studies without worrying 
     that it may all be taken away from me any second. I have 
     always thought of myself as an American, but it is thanks to 
     DACA that I can begin to truly feel like one, too. And that 
     feeling is something I am thankful for every single day.

  Juan and other Dreamers have so much to contribute to this country. 
But without DACA, without a similar protection, Juan could be deported 
back to Mexico, a country where he hasn't been since he was 2 years 
old.
  Would we be a stronger nation if we lost Juan Martinez--if he were 
deported? I don't think so. I think the answer is clearly no.
  When we introduced the Dream Act last week, Senator Lindsey Graham 
said: ``The moment of reckoning is coming.''
  I would say to the President first: Again, thank you. Thank you for 
allowing DACA to continue under your administration. Thank you for 
keeping your word to me and so many others when you said that these 
young people don't have to worry. But we are reaching a moment, Mr. 
President, when we have to come together and do something. We need you 
and you need us so that we can pass important legislation and you can 
sign it--legislation that will give these young people the protection 
they deserve, the opportunity they seek, the chance to make America a 
greater nation.
  I know the reality of this issue. I know it from both political 
sides. I witnessed it for over a decade. I know it is not popular, Mr. 
President, that you have taken this position, to stand behind the 
Dreamers and those protected by DACA, but you told me that you thought 
it was the right thing to do, and I am sure you still feel that way.
  Your new Chief of Staff, General Kelly, and I have had many 
conversations about this, and I believe that he, too, thinks that 
legislation is necessary to protect these young people. I hope we can 
come together. I stand ready. Senator Graham stands ready. We have a 
bipartisan coalition prepared to work with you.
  Let's not let this decision be made in a courtroom somewhere far from 
Washington. Let's take on our responsibility, yours as President and 
ours in the Senate, to address this critical issue that really cries 
out for justice. This is the time to do it. The concern, anxiety, and 
stress is higher than ever among these populations of people affected 
by DACA and the Dream Act and, of course, their families as well. I 
hope you will join us in creating a legal option that will defend the 
DACA Program and will work with us in Congress to make the Dream Act 
the law of the land so that we can say to young people like Juan 
Martinez and hundreds of thousands of others: Yes, we will give you 
your chance--give you your chance to prove that you can become a 
valuable part of America's future, give you a chance to make America a 
stronger nation. That is all they have asked for, and that is something 
we, on a bipartisan basis with the President, should give them.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Daines). The Senator from Texas.