[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 100 (Thursday, June 13, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4097-S4098]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          ANNIVERSARY OF DACA

  Ms. CORTEZ MASTO. Mr. President, I rise today because this Saturday 
marks the 12th anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood 
Arrivals policy, or DACA, as many know it.
  This policy has given hope to so many hard-working individuals who 
call America home. It has allowed children of immigrants who were 
brought here as kids to flourish, strengthen our economy, and remain in 
the only country they have ever really known. These are our children.
  When President Obama created DACA in 2012, it was a temporary 
solution focused on helping young people thrive. And with the 
establishment of DACA, we told them that if they stayed in school, they 
worked hard, and they contributed, we would help them stay here. That 
was a real promise that gave so much hope to thousands of amazing young 
people.
  Now, it has been 12 years, and DACA recipients have done what they 
promised to do. They have gone to college. They have become part of our 
workforce. They pay billions of dollars in taxes. And listen to this: 
49 percent of the initial group of DACA recipients in 2012 are college 
educated. As of 2023, there are over 544,000 recipients in the United 
States. And 10,730 of them live in my home State of Nevada.
  But Dreamers aren't percentages and figures. They are people. I have 
had the honor of meeting many of them, and, let me tell you, these 
Nevadans make our State stronger. They are teachers. They are doctors, 
engineers, small business owners, and community leaders. And they have 
families. And they have spent the last 12 years holding up their end of 
the bargain, and it is past time for us to hold up ours.
  This has been especially urgent in recent years, when litigation 
challenging DACA and attacks on the program by former President Trump 
and his allies have caused turmoil for Dreamers in this country. By 
failing to pass legislation to permanently protect Dreamers and put 
them on a path to citizenship, we are failing to fulfill our promise to 
these individuals. We are leaving them behind.
  We know that their status in this country, their safety and stability 
in their homes could change soon because of lawsuits that are still 
making their way through the courts. Dreamers abide by our laws. They 
have worked hard for an education, and they contribute to their 
communities every single day. They have earned their place

[[Page S4098]]

in our country and deserve the privilege, protection, and 
responsibility of citizenship.
  Now is the time to pass the Dream Act, to ensure that Dreamers can 
continue contributing to the only home they have ever known, without 
living in fear that their lives may be upended.
  But here is the deal. At the end of the day, it all comes down to 
this: My colleagues on the other side of the aisle need to step up, 
keep their word, and pass a permanent solution to Dreamers.
  Now, I wish I didn't have to stand here and give this speech. This is 
supposed to be a bipartisan issue that we can all get behind. The 
American people certainly feel that way. But we are running into the 
same issue over and over again.
  How many times have I stood right here on the Senate floor and told 
stories about the Dreamers I know in my State? And how many times have 
I called for the Dream Act to pass and pushed to give Dreamers the 
certainty that they deserve?
  I want to be honest with the Dreamers in my State and around the 
country. The reason we haven't passed that legislation in the Senate 
yet is because we need bipartisan support.
  And some Senate Republicans have said over and over that we need to 
fix DACA and protect Dreamers. So where are they now? They are turning 
their backs on people who are depending on them, because the reality is 
that far-right extremists are only interested in Dreamers when they can 
use them as political pawns.
  First--I remember this--some of my Republican colleagues said they 
needed to pair a solution for Dreamers with border security. I remember 
this because we had a real proposal to support border security and 
protect Dreamers in 2018. And then President Trump said: If you bring 
me that bipartisan bill, I will sign it into law.
  And what did he do? He didn't sign it. He changed his mind.
  And then my colleagues on the other side of the aisle said: Wait. 
Here is what we will do. If you work on border security--if you work on 
that first and you make some policy changes, then we are willing--then 
we are willing--to help Dreamers, and we will focus on that afterward.
  So just this year--we remember--we had a bipartisan legislation to 
secure our border that was actually endorsed by the National Border 
Patrol Council, and the immigration attorneys said it was a great first 
step. But what happened? Again, former President Trump requested that 
Senate Republicans tank the bill. And why? So that he could campaign on 
the chaos and not give a win to this Congress or this current 
administration.
  Well, I will tell you what. Like the Dreamers in my home State and 
across this country, I am frustrated. I am angry that politics are 
causing so many Dreamers across the country to put their lives on hold. 
It is unacceptable. That is not what this Congress--that is not what 
working with the White House--should be. We should be solving problems 
in this country, not using people and their families as political 
pawns.
  The time for stalling is over. It is time for my Republican 
colleagues to uphold their end of this deal and protect Dreamers, 
because while they tie themselves in knots and play all these political 
games, hundreds of thousands of lives are hanging in the balance.
  These aren't just statistics here in Washington. They are real people 
in our States, in our communities, with families, contributing to our 
economy and an essential part of our workforce.
  Enough is enough. Let's come together on this and work out a solution 
that is going to help Dreamers and continue to benefit this country. In 
12 years--in 12 years--it is the least we can do for a generation of 
people who have given everything they have to the United States. I, for 
one, won't stop trying.
  I yield the floor.

                          ____________________