[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 9 (Tuesday, January 16, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H398]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1915
               IT IS TIME WE SHOW OUR NATIONAL CHARACTER

  (Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI. Mr. Speaker, since the Trump administration 
announced the end of the DACA program in September, more than 16,000 
people have already lost their protection from deportation and their 
ability to work. Each day we fail to act to protect DREAMers, 122 more 
people lose those protections and the ability to contribute to their 
country in the same way they have for as long as they have lived here.
  These DREAMers teach our children, care for our loved ones, start 
businesses, strengthen our communities, defend our Nation, and believe 
that our country, their country, will see them for the Americans they 
are.
  One of our country's proudest DREAMers, Jose Antonio Vargas, once 
said:

       Citizenship to me is more than a piece of paper. 
     Citizenship is also about character. I am an American. We are 
     just waiting for our country to recognize it.

  Jose is right. It is high time our country recognizes the DREAMers 
for the Americans they really are. It is time we show our national 
character.

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