[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 172 (Wednesday, November 20, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6651-S6652]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                               Dream Act

  Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, I rise today to discuss an issue I have 
been working on for 23 years, the plight of America's Dreamers. I first 
introduced the DREAM Act more than two decades ago with Republican 
Senator Orrin Hatch, who was then the chairman of the Senate Judiciary 
Committee.
  This bipartisan bill would provide a pathway to citizenship for young 
immigrants who were brought to the United States as children and allow 
them to remain in this country, the only home many of them had ever 
known.
  Dreamers grew up alongside our kids, with the same hopes and dreams 
of getting their first job, their driver's license, even going to 
college. Many have gone on to serve our Nation as doctors, nurses, 
teachers, engineers, and first responders. Some have shown their 
loyalty to this country by serving in the Armed Forces.
  Yet without congressional action, Dreamers spend every day in fear of

[[Page S6652]]

their lives being uprooted by the threat of deportation. Twelve years 
ago, in response to a bipartisan request from myself and Senator 
Richard Lugar, President Obama established the DACA Program.
  DACA has protected more than 830,000 young people from deportation, 
all of whom were brought to this country as children, some as young as 
a few months old.
  Now, I realize for many of us the outcome of this month's elections 
was not what we wanted, fought for, or voted for. However, my priority 
of providing a safe pathway to citizenship for Dreamers has not changed 
because of the election. No matter who sits in the Oval Office, I will 
work with the President in good faith to help provide these young 
adults a chance, finally, at the American dream.
  I would like to share the story of a talented Dreamer. He is willing 
to make the ultimate sacrifice for this country. He is the 146th story 
of Dreamers that I have highlighted on the Senate floor. His name is 
Chieh Wi Chen, brought to the United States from Taiwan when he was 11 
years old, grew up in New York City, and believed in the importance of 
community and country. He eagerly registered for Junior ROTC in high 
school, enlisted in the Army in 2016, and earned his associate's degree 
in criminal justice from Queensborough Community College.
  He was on Active Duty for 4 years, stationed at Fort Jackson, which 
was then known as Fort Lee, before being deployed to countries 
including Saudi Arabia and South Korea.
  While he was deployed in South Korea, Chieh was able to take his oath 
of allegiance to the United States and become a citizen. Today, as an 
Army veteran, he is a proud owner of his own tea shop, creating jobs 
for others and supporting the local economy.
  DACA opened a path for Chieh that allowed him to pursue the American 
dream. DACA was always intended as a temporary stopgap until Congress 
finally got around to fixing this broken immigration system in America. 
In Chieh's case, DACA was the stepping stone he needed to finally serve 
our Nation and reach his full potential.
  Yet, since President Obama established the program, Republicans have 
waged a relentless campaign to overturn DACA and deport these Dreamers 
back to countries they never remember. Now this program is hanging by a 
thread in the courts due to legal challenges from Republican State 
attorneys general, and DACA recipients are forced to live with 
uncertainty every day.
  Last September, a Federal judge in Texas declared the DACA Program 
illegal. Though the decision left in place protections for current DACA 
recipients while it is on appeal, Dreamers live in constant fear that 
the next court decision will upend their lives. The litigation has also 
prevented at least 100,000 additional Dreamers from registering for the 
program.
  Madam President, our military is facing the most serious recruitment 
challenge in modern time. Only a quarter of Americans meet recruitment 
standards that would qualify them to serve in the military without 
receiving a waiver.
  We have seen time and again that DACA holders and Dreamers are ready 
and willing to serve America, to risk their lives for this country. But 
despite the success of veterans like Chieh, DACA holders can no longer 
enlist in the military, even though they went to school in the United 
States, pledged allegiance to our flag for decades, and know no other 
country.
  During his first term, then-President Trump tried to shut down the 
DACA Program, but his effort was blocked by the Supreme Court.
  On a personal note, the first time I ever met Donald Trump was just 
minutes after he had been sworn in as President of the United States 
for his first term. I had a chance at a luncheon to walk up and shake 
his hand and congratulate him and to ask a question. My question to him 
was: What are you going to do about the Dreamers? What about these kids 
who are here in the United States, brought here as children who want to 
be part of our future--what will you do about them, Mr. President?
  He said: Don't worry. We'll take care of those kids.
  Sadly, in the 4 years of the first term of President Trump, that 
didn't happen. The opposite did. Many efforts were made by his 
Department of Justice and other Agencies to stop the DACA Program and 
to stop any effort to create a Dreamers Program. That is a sad reality.
  I urge my colleagues to meet with these Dreamers personally. That is 
all I ask. Whether you support DACA or support the Dream Act, meet with 
them and hear their stories. Understand that decisions were made by 
their family which may have violated the law, but they were kids at the 
time those decisions were made. They have proven with their own 
personal lives and commitment that they truly want to be part of the 
future of America.
  Are we better served because this man decided to enlist in the 
military and protect our country? Of course. His return to Taiwan would 
be at the expense of the safety and security of the United States.
  Dreamers like Chieh have earned the right to put down roots, start 
their families, further their education, and continue to contribute to 
America. It is time for Congress to do something on a bipartisan basis 
and pass the Dream Act. It is not only the right thing to do; it is 
long overdue.