[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 95 (Thursday, June 6, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E720-E721]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                AMERICAN DREAM AND PROMISE ACT (H.R. 6)

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. GRACE MENG

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, June 6, 2019

  Ms. MENG. Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate alongside the 
hundreds of thousands of DACA recipients and TPS holders on the 
historic passage of the American Dream and Promise Act. I was proud to 
join my House colleagues this week in passing H.R. 6--and thereby 
marking a critical milestone in the long fight to protect those who 
have known only this country as their home.
  For too long, DACA recipients have been left wondering and waiting, 
not knowing what will happen with their immigration status. It is time 
we end that. TPS recipients remain living year-by-year--wondering if 
their TPS status will be extended. It is time we end that. Dreamers and 
TPS recipients are our neighbors and friends; they contribute to our 
communities, pay taxes, fight for our country and our freedoms, and 
live and work toward the American dream.
  The Trump Administration's approach to immigration has been cruel, 
unjust, and vicious. Its decision to dismantle the DACA program and 
terminate TPS designations for several countries is inhumane and an 
abandonment of American values and principles. Instead of working 
toward a future that creates hope and opportunity for Dreamers, and TPS 
and DED recipients, the Administration has relentlessly sought to 
further drive them into the shadows and close the door on their dreams 
and aspirations.
  DACA has enabled 800,000 Dreamers who came to the United States as 
children, through no decision of their own, to get an education, to get 
jobs, and to meaningfully contribute to the economy of the only country 
they have ever called home. They have shown incredible potential and 
achievement. For instance, Jin Park, one of my constituents from 
Queens, NY, is the first DACA recipient to be awarded the prestigious 
Rhodes Scholarship, and he will begin his studies this fall at the 
University of Oxford in England. Instead of having the usual worries of 
living and studying abroad, Jin fears he may not be allowed to return 
to the United States. We need the American Dream and Promise Act for 
Jin.
  Furthermore, with respect to TPS, I think about my constituents, the 
Nepali community of Queens, who were deeply impacted by the April 2015 
massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake that devastated Nepal and destroyed 
over half a million homes. Today, we have 400,000 foreign nationals 
living in the U.S. with TPS, some of whom have lived in the U.S. for 
decades. And I am proud to have fought in Congress for Nepal's TPS 
designation and extension. TPS is not a decision that is made lightly, 
but it is a decision that is made compassionately. We need the American 
Dream and Promise Act for the Nepali community, and all the other TPS 
recipients.

[[Page E721]]

  Madam Speaker, it is long overdue for Congress to protect these 
individuals who, for too long, have lived in limbo and in the shadows. 
I am proud to have voted in for the American Dream and Promise Act 
which would provide vital and humane protections for Dreamers, TPS, and 
DED recipients. After all, they are integral members of our community, 
they each have an American story, and they are deeply woven into the 
fabric of this nation.

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