[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 113 (Thursday, June 18, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3076-S3077]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                  DACA

  Madam President, before I yield the floor, I spoke earlier about the 
DACA decision and how I thought, first, of those wonderful kids and 
their families and the burden that is off their shoulders. But after a 
few minutes, I dialed my dear friend Senator Durbin. He has waged this 
fight since, I believe--2002?
  Mr. DURBIN. 2000.
  Mr. SCHUMER. 2000.
  He has been passionate and unrelenting in fighting for the DACA kids 
and their families. He talks about it in our caucus every week. He did 
just this past week.
  Now, while our work is still not done, we must all work so that these 
kids can eventually become American citizens. At least they are free--
free at last--and, in good part, that is because of the work of the 
senior Senator from Illinois, who met them, got to know them and love 
them, and took his amazing legislative acumen to help them.
  I believe, in part, that the decision across the street occurred 
because of Senator Durbin's effective and unrelenting passionate 
advocacy for the DACA kids
  I yield the floor to my dear friend and a happy man this morning, the 
senior Senator from Illinois.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Illinois.
  Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, I want to thank my friend and colleague 
from both the House and the Senate, Senator Chuck Schumer, the 
Democratic leader, for his kind words. He has been such a valuable ally 
in this battle.
  As leader on the Senate side, Chuck, I just can't thank you enough.
  Mr. SCHUMER. Dick, the thanks goes to you. The thanks goes to you.
  Mr. DURBIN. Time and again, we did things here that were difficult 
politically--difficult politically--to fight for the young people.
  I just want to thank all of the Senators on both sides of the aisle 
who were a part of moving this issue forward. They did it at great 
political risk.
  I can remember, as sure as I am standing here, watching one of my 
Democratic Senate colleagues walk down and vote for the Dream Act, 
return to her desk in the corner, put her head down and sobbed, 
realizing that she had probably cost her own reelection with that vote. 
Over and over again, people stood up for these young people.
  This morning, minutes ago, the Supreme Court brought a smile and a 
sigh of relief to more than 700,000 young people in the United States 
of America. This morning, the Supreme Court ruled that the September 
2017 rescission of the DACA Program by the Trump administration was to 
be stricken as arbitrary and capricious.
  So what does it mean? It means, for these 700,000 DACA-protected 
individuals, that they can continue to live, to

[[Page S3077]]

work, and to study in America without fear of deportation for the 
moment.
  DACA, of course, is a program created by President Obama in 2012. It 
was a program that was, frankly, our answer to the failure to enact the 
DREAM Act as the law of the land. The President used his Executive 
authority to create the DACA Program, and here is what it said, just 
basically mirroring the standards of the DREAM Act, which I introduced 
20 years ago: If you were brought to America as a child, if you have 
lived in this country, gone to school, don't have a serious problem 
with the law, you should have a chance to live here without fear of 
deportation. The DREAM Act said you should have a chance to become a 
citizen of the United States, which is, of course, our ultimate goal.
  But the DACA Program opened up eligibility, and almost 800,000 came 
forward and applied. They had to pay a filing fee of $500 or $600, go 
through a criminal background check, but for many of these young 
people, it was a turning point in their lives. At that point, finally--
finally--there was a chance they could stay in the country they called 
home, the United States of America.
  They seized that opportunity and did remarkable things. They enlisted 
in our military. They went to schools and colleges to pursue an 
education. They took up jobs as teachers. They finished medical school. 
They did things that were unimaginable for DACA.
  Of course, when the administration changed and a new President came 
in, there was a real question as to whether he would continue the DACA 
Program.
  The very first time I ever spoke to President Donald Trump was the 
day of his inauguration, within an hour or two after he was sworn, at a 
luncheon. What I said to him then--my first words were these: Mr. 
President, I hope you are going to help those young people, those 
Dreamers, those protected by DACA.
  He looked at me, and he said: Senator, don't worry. We will take care 
of those kids.
  Well, sadly, that didn't happen.
  In September of 2017, there was a decision made by this 
administration to eliminate the DACA Program, and at that point, were 
it not for a court challenge and a protective order by the court, those 
young people might have been subject to deportation. But many, myself 
included, believed that the process used by President Trump was flawed, 
and, if challenged, it would fall in court. It took from September 2017 
until today, just minutes ago, when the Supreme Court ruled that the 
administration's approach to eliminating DACA was wrong and would be 
stricken.
  I want to say for a moment who these young people are, because many 
people don't know them. They don't wear badges or uniforms to claim 
that they are DACA-protected, but this is who they are. Of the 700,000, 
200,000 of them are essential employees. You may see them every day in 
many, many callings across America as we face this national health 
emergency.
  Over 40,000 of them are healthcare workers. So if you are a patient 
at a clinic or a hospital today fighting COVID-19 and your doctor or 
nurse just walked in the room with a big smile, it is because the 
Supreme Court said to that healthcare worker or to that healthcare 
hero: You can stay in America. We need you.
  Of course, that could change. I want to raise this issue because it 
is an important one. The Trump administration can decide that they are 
going to reinitiate this effort to rescind DACA and try to do it right 
this time by the Supreme Court standards. That would be a terrible 
tragedy if he made that decision, not just for those 700,000 but for 
their families as well.
  The front page story on the Chicago Tribune this morning was about 
just such a family, both husband and wife protected by DACA, working in 
America, trying to buy a little home in Aurora, IL. She works in a 
cancer clinic. He has a job as well. They have two beautiful little 
kids. They are both DACA-protected. Because of the Supreme Court 
decision, they have another day in America. They have a sigh of relief 
this morning, but what about next week? What will the Trump 
administration do to them next week? I am calling on the President and 
those around him, begging him to give these DACA protectees the rest of 
this year until next year at least before anything is considered. Let's 
protect them now through the election, and let the next President, 
whoever he may be, make a decision.
  I hope before that happens we will do our part in the U.S. Senate, 
the second part of what we can and should be doing, calling on the 
President not to rescind DACA again, not to put these young people and 
their families through this all over again but, secondly, that we do 
our job in the Senate.
  I listened to Senator McConnell earlier, talking about bipartisanship 
and talking about our legislative accomplishments. He is correct that 
the lands bill we passed yesterday was historic. I am glad we did it. 
The coronavirus relief bill we passed is historic. I am certainly glad 
we did it on a bipartisan basis, and I sincerely hope, when it comes to 
Justice in Policing, we can do the same--a bipartisan effort to enact 
good law.
  Let me add to the list, which unfortunately doesn't include a lot of 
legislation, something that is now critically important. The House of 
Representatives, months ago, passed the Dream and Promise Act, which 
would take care of the DACA issue once and for all. We could enact that 
law and say to these young people: Now you have your chance to stay and 
earn your path to citizenship in America. That is what we ought to be 
saying.
  Everyone knows that our immigration laws are a mess. They are hard to 
explain and impossible to defend. We have a chance to do something 
about them on a bipartisan basis, and I am calling on Senator McConnell 
and all the leaders on either side of the aisle: Let's join together 
and do that. Let's have a hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee. 
Let's bring this bill to the floor of the Senate this year so that once 
and for all we can deal with the problem we have been looking at for 20 
years and approaching in so many different ways.
  In the meantime, for today--at least for this week and, I hope, for 
long beyond that--we will be celebrating a Supreme Court decision that 
gives a new lease on life to 700,000 young people who have one goal in 
mind: to be part of America's future. They were educated in our 
schools. They stood in those classrooms and pledged allegiance to the 
same flag we pledge allegiance to. They have their children. They have 
their families. They have their hopes and a future, and they are making 
a good living with life in the America. Thanks to the Supreme Court, 
they have some more time, but now it is up to the President and up to 
us to solve this problem once and for all, to do the right thing for 
them and for the future of America.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Scott of Florida). The clerk will call the 
roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. MERKLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.