[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 178 (Thursday, November 2, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H8390-H8391]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                DREAMERS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Massachusetts (Ms. Clark) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. CLARK of Massachusetts. Madam Speaker, DREAMers are young people 
who are fighting to give back to the only country they have ever known 
as home. They are not political bargaining chips, and they didn't ask 
to be at the center of this immigration debate. They were brought here 
before they were old enough to know the difference. They grew up as our 
neighbors, our kids' classmates, and our friends. They are also 
taxpayers, teachers, medical students, and they are young people who 
are signing up to serve in our military.
  Let me tell you about some of the DREAMers I have met in my district.
  Richard Kim is a student at Tufts University. He was brought here by 
his parents from Korea when he was just 2 years old. His parents 
sacrificed a great deal in America--even becoming homeless and living 
in a car for a while--for the chance that Richard would have a better 
life than they had.
  Their son worked hard, got good grades, and, ultimately, was admitted 
into one of the best schools in the country. Now he is a freshman at 
Tufts University, studying international relations. One day, he wants 
to work here in Congress. Richard calls himself 100 percent American. 
In his words, he says: I grew up here just like everyone else. I want 
to make a difference in America because this is the place I call home.
  Let me tell you also about Mario Delgado.
  In Mario's words, he says: I know what it is like to live like a 
shadow in a room full of light, keeping my head down to make sure that 
I don't get sent back to a country that I know nothing of.
  So Mario kept his head down. He studied, worked through high school 
to help pay the bills, and saved up money for the future. Mario expects 
to graduate from college next year. He wants to work in the renewable 
energy industry. He says he intends to help America with the 
advancement of fusion energy.
  And then there is Marla, who started attending school in Framingham, 
Massachusetts, when she was in the first grade. She describes learning 
American history, listening to popular music, and watching the Disney 
channel like the rest of her friends, but something was different.

                              {time}  1015

  Unlike her friends, she realized she couldn't get a driver's license. 
As a teenager, she suffered the crushing fear that every knock on the 
door could mean that she would never see her loved ones again. She 
feared that applying for college would mean exposing her family, a 
cruel reality for someone who was the valedictorian of her graduating 
class.

[[Page H8391]]

  When DACA was enacted, a life of fear became a life of possibility. 
Marla could now drive. She could earn and save money. She could go to 
college and contribute to her community.
  Marla not only went to college, she graduated at the top of her 
class. She bought a home and is now contributing her talents to the 
Commonwealth's innovation economy.
  Last week, Marla bravely came to me as a DREAMer, in front of her 
coworkers, because she wanted to make a difference.
  Madam Speaker, DREAMers are bright, young people who are American in 
their hearts and in their minds. They are American in every way but on 
paper, and their dream for a better future is unmistakably American.
  Their families have often endured poverty, violence, and persecution, 
but despite it all, they have excelled and charted their own path to 
success. Though they know no other country, they grew up with the 
threat of deportation and that their families could be torn apart at 
any given moment.
  The DACA program showed them a way to come out of the shadows, to 
lift their heads and reach for their dreams, and give back to a country 
they call home. Through DACA, 800,000 young people have been able to 
contribute to our workforce and our Armed Forces.
  As Marla put it, 800,000 is not just a number; it is birthdays, 
school events, graduations, homes, and memories.
  Reversing DACA would mean sending these talented young people to a 
country they don't even know, where they could potentially be our 
competitors in our workforce.
  We have all the tools we need to prevent that from happening and keep 
DREAMers like Richard, Mario, and Marla in our communities, where they 
can help us build successful futures. All we need is for leadership to 
allow us a vote.
  What these young people deserve is no different than what we want for 
our own children. If we fail to pass the Dream Act, we not only fail 
them, we fail to meet our potential as a country. Let's do what the 
vast majority of Americans are asking us to do. Let's give our DREAMers 
and the Dream Act a vote.

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