[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 190 (Wednesday, December 7, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7013-S7014]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                              Immigration

  Mr. President, yesterday--the day before yesterday, it was reported 
that two of our colleagues, Senators Sinema and Tillis, are working 
together on a potential immigration package. Although I want to know 
more details about what they are considering, I want to thank them for 
showing this kind of initiative on this important issue.
  I believe we must pass immigration reform legislation before the end 
of the year, and the Members of the Senate shouldn't leave for home for 
the holidays until we take a vote to reform our broken immigration 
system.
  Now, I know some people at home may be wondering why. What is the 
urgency? Why do it now? Well, we, first, may have an opportunity, and I 
hope we do, but it could be the last opportunity for a long time.
  It has been more than 35 years since Congress has enacted a bill to 
reform our immigration system. With all of

[[Page S7014]]

the attention paid on the issue of immigration and our borders, it is 
hard to imagine how a Congress can be critical of the fact that the 
situation has deteriorated and not take action for 35 years. That is 
shameful.
  Our failure to act on immigration hurts everyone, from hospitals in 
my State of Illinois struggling to find doctors and nurses, to asylum 
seekers fleeing violence and oppression.
  There is one group of people in particular who have been left 
behind--Dreamers, these young people who are American in every way 
except for the paperwork. We all know Dreamers who have made a 
difference in our States.
  They are young people who were brought to the United States by their 
parents, grew up here, thought they had a future here, but find they 
are undocumented. Many of them were brought here as babies, and they 
grew up alongside our own kids and pledged allegiance to the same 
American flag in their classrooms every morning.
  A few weeks ago, I had a chance to welcome some of these Dreamers to 
Washington. As always, I was amazed by these young people, and above 
all, I was amazed by their passion to give back to the only home they 
have ever known--the United States of America.
  One of these--and I want to show you a photo--is Eddie Rivera. He is 
a freshman at Dominican University in my home State of Illinois. He is 
studying to become a nurse.
  Over the years, I have come to the floor of the Senate to tell the 
stories of people just like Eddie to show what is at stake when we 
consider the Dream Act. Eddie's story is the 131st Dreamer story I have 
told on the Senate floor.
  You see, Eddie's family is originally from Honduras, and back there, 
his mother was an attorney. Now, while you think that is a stable 
profession, in Honduras, it was actually a liability. She received 
death threats because of her work, and it was out of fear for her young 
son's life that she sought refuge in America.
  Eddie's family moved a lot when he was growing up. They struggled to 
get by, but they came to rely on one another for support. When his 
grandmother was diagnosed with dementia, Eddie and his mom became her 
full-time caregivers. He would sit by his grandmother's side day by 
day, feeding her, praying for her, holding her hand.
  Sadly, his grandmother passed away in December 2019. But it was this 
personal life experience caring for his grandmother that inspired Eddie 
to pursue a career in medicine and nursing. So when the COVID pandemic 
hit in 2020, he answered the call for duty. He was hired to assist the 
nursing staff in a COVID unit of a hospital in North Carolina. In this 
role, he tried to provide the same loving care to his patients that he 
once provided to his grandmother.
  In the future, it is Eddie's hope that he can obtain his nursing 
degree and work at a retirement home, one where people can ``spend the 
rest of their lives living with dignity in a loving community who will 
respect them and appreciate them for all of the contributions they have 
made to society.''
  So ask yourself a very basic question, which every Senator should 
ask: Would America be better if Eddie Rivera were deported to Honduras, 
a country he barely remembers, or would our Nation be better to have 
Eddie here among our ranks--the ranks of healthcare professionals who 
make such a difference in their lives?
  What about the more than 200,000 DACA recipients who also work on the 
frontlines of the pandemic--doctors, nurse, paramedics? Would we truly 
be better without them? Of course not. We need Dreamers liked Eddie, 
and we need to act on their behalf this month.
  In October, the Fifth Circuit returned a case to the lower court to 
determine whether DACA, which has protected 800,000 Dreamers since 
2012, will remain the law of the land. So unless Congress acts in the 
next few days to protect DACA recipients, this program could end even 
as soon as next year.

  What does that mean for those 800,000 currently protected by DACA? 
Two things: They are subject to deportation at any moment, and they no 
longer have the legal right to work in the hospitals and clinics and 
businesses across America. If that happens, an average of 1,000 DACA 
recipients would lose their jobs each week in healthcare, education, 
and other sectors of our economy where we expect serious shortages.
  Look, I am under no illusions about what it takes to pass an 
immigration package in a matter of 2 weeks or a few days. I know many 
of our Republican colleagues have their own priorities, and I am 
willing to sit down and make sensible compromises to bring order to our 
border. But we need to move, we need to act, because, as I mentioned, 
this could be the last chance in a long time.
  The incoming Republican House majority has already declared that they 
will not allow a vote on any immigration measure during the next 
Congress. It will be the same dynamic we saw in 2013 when we passed an 
immigration bill here in the Senate, only to see it die in the House. 
Let's not repeat the same mistake.
  To my Republican colleagues, I say this: If you care about improving 
border security or helping address worker shortages, this is our last 
chance to do it. Let's give every Dreamer in this country the peace of 
mind they deserve heading into the holiday season, and let's prove to 
the American people that we are capable of making tough decisions when 
the situation demands it.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The minority whip.