[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 116 (Thursday, July 11, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S4800]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                              Immigration

  Mr. President, on immigration, during his first days in office, the 
President began his administration by signing an Executive order that 
attempts to impose travel bans on Muslims and to ban refugees. He 
signed an Executive order that greatly expanded the number of people 
who were subject to detention and deportation, and practically 
speaking, he eliminated the focus on the most dangerous, violent 
criminals in our communities.
  The President has tried to deny sanctuary and asylum to those 
refugees who legally seek protection in our country as they flee 
violence and persecution in their homelands.
  He rescinded protections for the Dreamers and those with temporary 
protective status, which cast a cloud of uncertainty over the futures 
of these individuals and their families. It basically put an expiration 
date on their backs.
  In our communities, I think we all know that the Dreamers and those 
with temporary protected status now have a fear as to whether their 
futures will be here in the United States. They have been here for a 
long time, and as we all know, they are part of our communities. The 
American values of empathy and compassion seemingly no longer find a 
champion in the White House.