[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 6 (Wednesday, January 10, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S118-S119]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                  DACA

  Mr. HEINRICH. Madam President, I rise today to stand up for the 
hundreds of thousands of young immigrants known as Dreamers, whose 
lives President Trump has thrown into terrifying uncertainty.
  Immigrant communities have long helped write the economic, social, 
and cultural story of my home State of New Mexico and, for that matter, 
the entire Nation. That is certainly true for Dreamers, undocumented 
immigrants who arrived in the United States as children and are vital 
members of communities across New Mexico.
  Over the years, I have had the privilege of meeting many of New 
Mexico's estimated 7,000 Dreamers. I have met with students who grew up 
here and are now striving to become doctors, scientists, teachers, and 
even serve in our military. These young people are our children's 
classmates. They are our next-door neighbors. They are our colleagues. 
They are family members, and many are truly rising stars. In fact, I 
would argue that these Dreamers are the future of a great America.
  Every day these young people add to the strength of our economy, to 
the vitality of our country. More than 97 percent of DACA recipients 
are in school or in the workforce.
  The DACA Program allowed them to work legally, to get driver's 
licenses, to go to college, to serve in our military and give back to 
their communities. DACA helped almost 70 percent of recipients secure a 
job with better pay, and better pay leads to real investments in our 
communities and our economy.
  After their DACA applications were approved, nearly two-thirds of 
recipients reported buying their first car, and almost one in six 
reported buying a new home. DACA recipients also paid billions of 
dollars in Federal, State, and local taxes. Why on Earth would

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we kick out these contributors to our economy and our country?
  The economic impact of removing nearly 700,000 workers from the U.S. 
workforce would be staggering. It would cost our economy nearly half a 
trillion dollars in GDP loss over the next decade. But passing the 
Dream Act could add an estimated $281 billion to the U.S. economy over 
the next 10 years. That, to me, sounds like putting America first.
  I stand with these Dreamers, and I always have. One of my first 
actions when I was in the House of Representatives was to sign on as an 
original cosponsor of the Dream Act, which would create a pathway to 
legal status and citizenship for Dreamers who pursue higher education 
or serve our Nation in uniform. This commonsense, compassionate, and 
responsible policy is long overdue for a generation of young Americans.
  Since President Trump made the heartless decision to end DACA, I have 
held his administration accountable for their mishandling of renewal 
applications for DACA recipients. My office has assisted Dreamers in 
New Mexico through the DACA renewal process and is actively 
participating in meetings with communities and local advocacy groups 
throughout the State.
  I introduced legislation to safeguard Dreamers' private information, 
such as addresses and telephone numbers, so the Trump administration 
can't use those to target them or their families for deportation.
  When my office learned that the Department of Homeland Security had 
arbitrarily rejected hundreds of renewal applications that arrived late 
because they were delayed by the Postal Service, I pressed the 
administration to take immediate action to reverse its decision. I am 
pleased to say that Dreamers whose applications were rejected due to 
Postal Service delays were allowed to resubmit their renewals for DACA. 
In fact, just last week, the first two DACA recipients in New Mexico, 
who brought this to my attention with the help of Catholic Charities, 
were told that they could move forward with their DACA renewal 
applications.
  President Trump's decision means that until Congress passes the Dream 
Act, these young members of our communities still face deep uncertainty 
about whether they will be able to stay in school, keep working and 
contributing to our economy, and remain in the Nation that they call 
home.
  Congress must pass the Dream Act now. Threatening to deport these 
young people who grew up in America and want to contribute to their 
Nation will not fix our broken immigration system. Making the American 
people foot the bill to build an unnecessary and wasteful border wall--
which families in New Mexico's border communities have told me they do 
not want nor do they need--will not fix our broken immigration system.
  President Trump and congressional Republicans wasted an entire year 
trying to take away American's healthcare and then rushing through tax 
breaks for the superwealthy in the final weeks of the year. By 
squandering an entire year, they pushed Dreamers aside and put their 
lives in jeopardy.
  I voted to fund the government through the holidays in hopes that 
Congress could finally reach an agreement to pass the Dream Act. We 
also urgently need to reauthorize the Children's Health Insurance 
Program, fix wildfire disaster funding, provide disaster relief for 
Puerto Rico, which is still recovering from Hurricane Maria. Taking 
care of these long-neglected and bipartisan priorities is the bare 
minimum of governance. Republican leaders in Congress need to take this 
opportunity seriously, especially if they expect our support.
  I will be fighting every step of the way to pass the Dream Act, and I 
encourage all of my colleagues to do the same.
  Since President Trump shamefully pulled the rug out from under 
Dreamers when he hastily ended the DACA Program, I have spent time 
meeting with Dreamers in New Mexico, as well as here in Washington. You 
cannot hear their stories without realizing how morally bankrupt the 
administration's current policy is. It is impossible for me to convey 
the desperation and the fear they are feeling every day that passes 
without our passing the Dream Act.
  Now is the time to give these young Americans a permanent place in 
this great Nation. Enough is enough. Their patience has worn thin with 
the President and congressional Republicans using them as political 
bargaining chips. It is immoral to play politics with the lives of 
these young Americans.
  I will say it again. Congress absolutely must pass the Dream Act, and 
we have an opportunity to do it now.
  We should not stop once we pass the Dream Act. Leaders in Congress 
have waited far too long to finally address our Nation's overall broken 
immigration system. I still continue to believe that our Nation 
urgently needs Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform, which 
includes a visa program that meets the needs of our economy. It is a 
tough but fair path to earn citizenship for the estimated 11 million 
people in our country who are undocumented and a plan that ensures 
community safety and security at our borders.
  When I think about immigration, I always wonder how different my own 
life would be if America had turned my father away when he immigrated 
here as a young boy. Our Nation's enduring spirit has been built by the 
hard work and the dreams of so many striving young immigrants like my 
father in the 1930s and like so many Dreamers today. No Member of 
Congress should be able to rest until Dreamers are able to rest easy, 
knowing they will be able to stay and to contribute to literally the 
only Nation they have ever called home.
  Thank you.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. LEAHY. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.