[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 49 (Wednesday, March 21, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1882-S1883]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                  DACA

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, this crisis we face in this country 
involving DACA is a crisis that was created when President Trump 
announced the end of the program on September 5 of last year and gave 
us a deadline of March 5 of this year to come up with an alternative. 
Many of us, including the Presiding Officer, battled mightily to do 
that--a bipartisan effort with compromise on both sides--but we never 
could come up with a proposal the President accepted. As a consequence, 
the destiny of the DACA recipients is uncertain.
  They are now temporarily protected by an injunction from two 
different Federal lawsuits--an injunction which could end in a matter 
of weeks or months. In the meantime, their status is so uncertain that 
it is difficult for them to make plans for their lives. That is where 
we are today.
  DACA has been a huge success. It is a program designed to give those 
who were brought here as children, toddlers, and infants an opportunity 
to become part of America--a legal part of America--and an opportunity 
to one day become citizens.
  DACA was an Executive order of President Obama's which President 
Trump has now abolished. There is no protection, other than the court 
injunction for those who are facing the end of DACA.
  Yesterday, I convened a meeting with some of my Senate colleagues 
with the Secretary of Homeland Security, Kirstjen Nielsen. Here is what 
we learned: As of yesterday, more than 35,000 DACA renewal applications 
are pending because of these court orders. Of these pending renewal 
applications, 10,000 were from recipients whose DACA protection had 
already expired. Tens of thousands more Dreamers have DACA protection 
due to expire soon. Around 13,000 DACA permits could expire in March, 
another 5,300 in April, and nearly 14,000 more in May.
  Understand what happens: When a person is protected by DACA and loses 
that protection, technically, they can be deported. In addition, they 
cannot legally continue to work in the United States.
  There is some good news, though. Secretary Nielsen promised me that 
the Department of Homeland Security will not deport any DACA recipient 
with a pending DACA application, even if their DACA status has expired. 
I thank her for that commitment, and I intend to hold her to that 
commitment. Many lives are at stake.
  However, for DACA recipients whose status has expired, that same 
Department will not authorize them to work unless and until DACA is 
renewed, so there can be a gap in their employment. Understand that the 
people we are talking about are not folks, by and large, with part-time 
jobs. They are teachers. They are medical professionals. Some of them 
are serving in our military.
  What we now know about the expiration of this work permit is that 
tens of thousands of DACA-eligible individuals could be forced to leave 
their jobs while their applications for renewal are pending and before 
those applications are approved.
  Then consider the fate of Dreamers who are eligible for DACA but 
never reached the necessary age to attain that status. They can no 
longer apply for DACA because President Trump's decision prohibits them 
after September 5. If a child turns 15, the youngest age at which they 
can apply for DACA, they are now blocked from applying because of the 
President's decision.
  The nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute estimates that in addition 
to 800,000 DACA recipients, there are an additional 1 million Dreamers 
eligible for DACA. Because of President Trump's decision to end DACA, 
1.8 million Dreamers are at risk of deportation and cannot work to 
support themselves and contribute to the only country they know and the 
country they love.
  President Trump called on Congress to legalize DACA, but he has, 
unfortunately, refused to accept six different bipartisan offers to 
achieve that. One of those offers also included $25 billion for his 
wall. Yet he wouldn't accept it.
  Let me tell my colleagues the story of one of these young people, as 
I have done before. I have come to the floor of the Senate more than 
110 times to tell these stories. I just think when you hear the stories 
of an individual, it helps us understand what the real issue is.
  This is a photo of Irving Calderon. He is the 112th Dreamer I have 
talked about on the Senate floor. When he was 7 months old, Irving was 
brought to the United States from Mexico by his parents. He lived in 
California for 10 years and then moved to Texas where he currently 
lives. His childhood memories include Disneyland, going to the beach, 
and celebrating Christmas and the Fourth of July with his family.
  Irving found out he was undocumented when he was 12 years old. At 
first he didn't believe it because he said there is nothing about him 
that wasn't American. Then, as he got older, he realized he couldn't 
get a driver's license, he couldn't work, he couldn't save money for 
college, but he didn't give up.
  In high school, Irving maintained a 4.0 grade point average. He was a 
member of the Honor Society and the student council. He served as 
president of the school's chapter of the Future Business Leaders of 
America, played varsity basketball and tennis.
  Because of his accomplishments, Irving was accepted into the 
University of Texas at Austin. In college, he served as director of the 
Hispanic Business Students Association, and under his leadership, the 
group adopted a street to clean. Irving organized events for 
underrepresented high school students and middle school students and 
volunteered at an orphanage every Thanksgiving.

[[Page S1883]]

  He graduated from the University of Texas with a bachelor's degree in 
business administration. Thanks to DACA--created by President Obama and 
then eliminated by President Trump later--Irving was able to put his 
degree to work. For the last 3 years, he has worked as an information 
technology business analyst at General Motors. He creates software 
systems for one of the largest automakers in the United States.

  He wrote me a letter, and here is what he said:

       I've always felt completely American. I've been here since 
     I was 7 months old. It's the only place I know and the only 
     place I've ever considered home. Being an American is not 
     something that is just given to you; it's about the work you 
     put in. . . . I feel that I have contributed to America.

  I do too. It would be an American tragedy to deport someone like 
Irving, who has overcome so many obstacles and has so much to 
contribute to our country. People like Irving Calderon are the reason 
more than 400 business leaders signed a letter to Congress urging us to 
pass a bipartisan Dream Act. The letter and these business leaders say:

       Dreamers are vital to the future of our companies and our 
     economy. With them, we grow and create jobs. They are part of 
     why we will continue to have a global competitive advantage.

  President Trump created this crisis, but instead of working toward a 
solution, he has sabotaged every effort we have tried to make on behalf 
of Dreamers. Now it is up to Republican leaders in Congress to take yes 
for an answer and accept any one of the six bipartisan solutions we put 
on the table to save these young people.
  Congress should do our job and make the Dream Act the law of the 
land, or we will be responsible for forcing hundreds of thousands of 
talented young immigrants out of the workforce and putting them at risk 
of immediate deportation.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.

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