[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 13]
[House]
[Pages 18506-18507]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        PASS AMERICAN DREAM ACT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Hinojosa) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I rise to 
urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass the American 
DREAM Act.
  This past weekend, I learned of the tragic death of Joaquin Luna, a 
senior student at Juarez Lincoln High School in Mission, Texas, who 
took his life because he believed that he would never be able to 
fulfill his dream of becoming an engineer, earning his citizenship, and 
leading a full and prosperous life in America.
  Brought to the United States as an infant, Joaquin attended our 
Nation's public schools, played the guitar at his church, and hoped to 
go to college and achieve the American Dream. I cannot express the 
sorrow I feel on the loss of such a talented young man. I want to 
extend my heartfelt condolences to Joaquin's family and friends. I 
cannot imagine the pain they are suffering. It is heartbreaking to know 
that many of us in the U.S. House of Representatives passed the DREAM 
Act at this time last year, only to see the legislation held up in the 
Senate by a vote of 55-41.
  Today, as Joaquin Luna's body is laid to rest, I believe it is 
imperative to underscore the urgency of passing the DREAM Act in the 
112th Congress and renewing hope for DREAM students. As a proud 
cosponsor of H.R. 1842, the Development, Relief, and Education for 
Alien Minors Act of 2011, better known as the DREAM Act, I urge 
President Obama and my colleagues in the House and the Senate to put 
their ideological differences aside and do what is right. Now more than 
ever, we must give these young people an opportunity to pursue their 
college and career goals, resolve their immigration status, and earn 
their citizenship.

                              {time}  1040

  The DREAM Act would allow these students the opportunity to earn 
legal status if they were 15 years old or younger when they were 
brought to America, are long-term U.S. residents

[[Page 18507]]

and have lived in the United States for at least 5 years before the 
enactment of the law, have good moral character, graduate from high 
school or obtain a GED, and complete 2 years of college or military 
service in good standing.
  Having been brought by their parents to the United States as 
children, these young men and women know America as their home. Without 
question, DREAM students exemplify the best of American ideals, such as 
hard work, perseverance, and the desire to contribute to our Nation's 
workforce, economy, and civic life.
  In the Rio Grande Valley of south Texas, DREAM students have excelled 
in school and have become valedictorians, Advanced Placement Scholars, 
and student leaders, despite facing difficult circumstances.
  As ranking member for the Subcommittee on Higher Education and 
Workforce Training, I have no doubt that the DREAM students can help 
America achieve President Obama's ambitious high school and college 
completion goals by the year 2020. Many of these students are working 
tirelessly to earn their high school and college diplomas and aspire to 
become professionals in the sectors of our workforce which need their 
talent, skills, and ingenuity.
  In the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, 
better known as STEM, our country must train a new generation of high-
skilled scientists, engineers, and mathematicians to bolster scientific 
discovery and spur technological innovation. Simply stated, these 
talented youth can help our Nation increase its global competitiveness 
and be the innovators of tomorrow.
  Finally, it's important to note that the DREAM Act has enjoyed broad, 
bipartisan support from Members of Congress and Administration 
officials on both sides of the aisle. They include Secretary of 
Education Arne Duncan, former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Former 
Secretary of State Colin Powell, and Carlos Gutierrez, former Secretary 
of Commerce under President Bush.
  Chancellors and university presidents and thousands of students, 
civil rights groups, and prominent education, business, religious 
leaders, and elected officials support the DREAM Act because it is 
humane and sensible. It's the right thing to do.

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