[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 178 (Thursday, November 2, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1495]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING ``COLLEGE PRESIDENTS: PROTECT OUR STUDENTS, PASS THE DREAM 
ACT,'' AUTHORED BY ANGEL CABRERA; JOHN J. DeGIOIA, DeRIONNE P. POLLARD, 
                            AND SCOTT RALLS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. GERALD E. CONNOLLY

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, November 2, 2017

  Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to include in the Record an Op-Ed 
by Angel Cabrera, president of George Mason University, John J. 
DeGioia, president of Georgetown University, DeRionne P. Pollard, 
president of Montgomery College, and Scott Ralls, president of Northern 
Virginia Community College. I am proud to represent George Mason 
University and Northern Virginia Community College. This important and 
eloquent piece, titled ``College presidents: Protect our students, pass 
the Dream Act,'' was published in the Hill on October 16, 2017:

       ``One month ago, the lives of 800,000 young people around 
     our nation were put in jeopardy, with the decision by the 
     White House to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood 
     Arrivals (DACA) program. This decision fails to understand 
     the overwhelmingly positive impact that the DACA program has 
     had for so many students, and the devastating consequences 
     that rescinding it will have on them, their families, our 
     schools, our communities and our country.
       We cannot set aside the invaluable contributions of these 
     students and their passion and commitment to the work of our 
     colleges and our country.
       We cannot forget the impact of their contributions to our 
     economy--estimated at $460 billion over the next decade.
       We cannot ignore the joy they bring to our communities and 
     the degree to which we are strengthened by their presence.
       We believe, as presidents of colleges and universities, it 
     is imperative that we protect these young people through the 
     passage of the Dream Act. They have grown up here in America. 
     They've gone to grade school, middle school and high school 
     with our children. They are student body presidents, medical 
     students and doctoral candidates. Some serve in high school 
     ROTC and volunteer in their churches. Others help single 
     parents raising younger siblings and tutor their peers as 
     they prepare for college. They are members of our 
     communities. They have done all the things we expect of our 
     young people, and for their efforts so many have been able to 
     earn places on our college campuses. They want--and deserve--
     the chance to continue learning and living in America without 
     the constant fear of deportation.
       We have seen the contributions that these extraordinary 
     young people make to our campuses and our communities. 
     Colleges and universities are about opportunity and the 
     pursuit of each and every student's version of the American 
     dream. No matter who they are--or where they came from--every 
     student deserves an equal shot at success. We take 
     responsibility for fostering academic and social environments 
     that give every student the means and opportunity to pursue a 
     better future.
       Across our nation, our higher education community is coming 
     together in support of our Dreamers. This week, the American 
     Council on Education and colleges and universities around the 
     country are contributing their voices to a national campaign: 
     ``Higher Education Week'' in support of Protecting Dreamers. 
     To launch this week, our institutions--which represent public 
     and private as well as two- and four-year institutions in 
     Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C.--have come together 
     to reflect on the invaluable presence of these students on 
     our campuses. Our region has approximately 23,000 DACA 
     recipients and we know that almost half of all DACA 
     recipients are in school or pursuing a college degree.
       These young people belong here. They have played by our 
     rules since the day they arrived as minors with their 
     parents. They have done everything we could expect of them. 
     They have earned their places on our campuses. They are 
     poised to contribute to the future of our nation. We have the 
     capacity, and responsibility, as a nation to provide a 
     permanent bipartisan legislative solution.
       We call upon Congress to pass the bipartisan DREAM Act so 
     that these talented and hardworking students, brought here as 
     children by parents who only wished for a better life, are 
     able to get the shot at success and the American dream that 
     they so rightfully deserve.''

  Mr. Speaker, I agree wholeheartedly with Presidents Cabrera, DeGioia, 
Pollard, and Ralls. I invite my colleagues to read their thoughtful 
piece, and I urge them to take its message to heart.

                          ____________________