[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Pages 15413-15414]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                             THE DREAM ACT

  Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Mr. President, I am honored to follow my 
distinguished colleague from Alabama, as well as a number of my other 
colleagues who I think have disproved, at least for this afternoon, one 
of the remarks made by the Senator from Illinois, which is that the 
cable viewers who subscribe to C-SPAN may not be getting their money's 
worth. I think the very spirited remarks made by my colleague from 
Alabama, even as I disagree with them, are a very well-stated point of 
view that deserves to be considered.
  I am honored also to follow the majority leader and the Senator from 
Illinois and the Senator from Virginia in the remarks they made about 
the need to change the filibuster rules, and I wish to associate myself 
strongly with them. From the very first days I have been a Member of 
this body, I have strongly believed the filibuster needs to be ended or 
at least greatly modified so as to permit the business of this great 
Chamber to go forward. I believe the new Members who have come here 
have heard that message loud and clear from the American people and 
that they will vote--a majority of them--to change those rules. Because 
all of us know, having been home for a while, the American people 
believe strongly that we need to do better, we need to do more, we need 
to address the problems of this country through majority rule, not by 
60-vote rule but majority rule, at least at the beginning of the 
process, as the majority leader has suggested, not by violating the 
rules but by following the rules to change and improve those rules. So 
I will vote to support the majority leader's proposals in that regard.
  One of the measures that has been stymied, as the Senator from 
Illinois very eloquently said, is the DREAM Act. I have been a strong 
supporter and thank him for his leadership on the DREAM Act over many 
years. A number of times I have come to the floor to share stories, 
specific personal stories about those DREAMers whose lives would be 
changed and who would so greatly enhance the life of this Nation if the 
DREAM Act were passed. I am here again to share the story of another 
DREAMer from Connecticut and to urge my colleagues to act on this 
measure.
  Of course, this measure should be part of comprehensive immigration 
reform. I have believed since I arrived 2 years ago that immigration 
reform ought to be a priority. I am gratified and grateful that the 
President seems now to be moving in that direction and that many in 
this body share that view. In fact, I asked to be assigned to the 
Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Immigration so I could be a part 
of this debate, and I hope I will join leaders in this effort, such as 
Senator Schumer and Senator Menendez, in proposals to repair a broken 
system. Clearly, our immigration system is in dire need of reform, 
comprehensive reform that will include the DREAM Act.
  I have met and I have seen and experienced firsthand the stories of 
these DREAMers that make the case so compellingly for the DREAM Act to 
enable them to earn their citizenship and continue contributing to the 
greatest Nation in the history of the world, America.
  As we return from Thanksgiving, having expressed our gratitude for 
our families, for our communities, for our country, what better time to 
address this measure for people who appreciate, maybe more than most of 
us, the importance and value of citizenship.
  For more than a decade, Senator Durbin has championed this measure, 
and I am honored to work with him in this effort. As attorney general, 
I advocated it at the State level. But, obviously, only the Federal 
Government can change the laws relating to citizenship.
  The DREAM Act would give young, undocumented immigrants, brought to 
this country as infants or young children, through no choice of their 
own, a chance to earn their citizenship through education or military 
service. The young people who would benefit from the DREAM Act identify 
as Americans. This Nation is the only one they have ever known. English 
is often the only language they know. Their friends here are the only 
friends they have. It would give them a clear path to immigration 
status, as well as citizenship.
  The DREAM Act would give these young people a chance to earn 
citizenship but only if they meet several requirements. First, they 
must have come here as children. They have to demonstrate good moral 
character. They have to have graduated from high school. They must have 
completed 2 years of college or military service. Then, having met 
those requirements, they can apply for legal permanent residency and 
pursue a path to citizenship.
  The DREAM Act would enable thousands of young people in Connecticut--
about 2 million across the country--to leave the shadows, to leave the 
shadows of fear, of deportation from their homes and their communities, 
a fear that haunts them and forces them to put their careers and their 
education on hold, to the detriment of them and our Nation because they 
have so much to contribute and to give back to their communities and 
our country.
  They are well educated and ambitious, and they could enhance and 
expand our society, our economy, our democracy if they are given the 
chance to fulfill their potential. All they want, all they ask is the 
opportunity to stay in this country and to earn citizenship in the 
place they call home, proudly.
  Two million immigrants nationwide would benefit from this act. Mr. 
President, 11,000 to 20,000 DREAMers are living in Connecticut, and one 
of them is Solanlly Canas.
  She was born in Colombia and she is here with us in this photograph. 
She was brought to America when she was 12 years old, living now in 
East Haven where she has attended school. She is in her senior year of 
high school where she has thrived as a member of the Honor Society, the 
Executive Board of the Student Council, and president of

[[Page 15414]]

the Interact Club, the National Honor Society.
  She has dreams and goals for the future. She is proud of being a 
great student contributing to the life of her school, and she hopes to 
study psychology some day. She wants to go to college. But her life is 
in danger of being on hold because of her undocumented status. On June 
15 of this year, Solanlly encountered the great hope that maybe all of 
her hard work would be worth it, because on that date, the Obama 
administration announced a new policy that deferred action for 
childhood arrivals that gave her a temporary reprieve for relief from 
deportation. It extended for 2 years that relief. She would qualify, 
because those who have been in this country, continuously residing here 
for 5 years, brought here as children, not convicted of a felony or 
significant misdemeanor, currently in school or graduating from high 
school or honorably discharged as a veteran, all would be eligible to 
apply.
  But eligibility is all they receive. All they would gain if granted 
this status is a temporary reprieve, forcing them again to risk, at the 
end of that reprieve, the potential for deportation and aggravating the 
possible fear by their having to declare their undocumented status. Her 
fate, far from being unusual, I have shown to be common to a number of 
individuals whom I have specifically mentioned on the floor.
  Miller Gomes, for example--I am going to have his picture be shown 
here--brought to this country from Brazil at 5 years old. He attended 
Bridgeport public schools and Fairfield University where he graduated 
summa cum laude, and then the University of California-Berkeley where 
he is now enrolled in a Ph.D. program, a Ph.D. program in chemistry. 
What does this country need if not more scientists? We say so every day 
on this floor. Here is a scientist who could contribute greatly, now in 
fear of deportation simply because he was brought here at 5 years old 
and he is undocumented to this day.
  Zuly Molina, who came here from Mexico, brought here at 6 years old. 
By the way, she had to walk across desert-like, barren country for 15 
days. She was then put in the trunk of a car--6 years old. Living in 
New Britain. She was so fearful of her status that she declined to go 
to college in Connecticut. Instead she went to Massachusetts at Bay 
Path College where right now she is pursuing a master's in occupational 
therapy, a health care worker. At a time when we on this floor talk 
about the need for health care skilled training, we have here someone 
who could provide exactly that kind of contribution.
  Finally, I have talked about Yusmerith Caguao, brought here from 
Venezuela when she was 11 years old. She went to Norwalk schools, and 
graduated from Norwalk Community College. She worked her way through 
Norwalk Community College as a waitress, as a babysitter, as an 
employee at a pet store. Now she is at Western Connecticut State 
University pursuing a combined degree in finance and accounting.
  For these DREAMers, a path to citizenship, beginning with legal 
status, is essential to their peace of mind but also to their 
continuing to accomplish academically and professionally what is their 
great potential, to give to their country the promise and fulfillment 
of that potential that this country so dearly needs. We have the 
opportunity to provide them with a pathway to citizenship. Hopefully it 
would be part of comprehensive reform. But even as a stand-alone 
measure it merits approval. And as the Senator from Illinois said so 
well, it was blocked by the requirement for a 60-vote threshold. A 
majority voted in favor of it during this Congress. I ask my colleagues 
to give it the 60-vote threshold that it needs to pass for the sake of 
these DREAMers and for the sake of our country.
  (The remarks of Mr. Blumenthal pertaining to the introduction of S. 
3636 are printed in today's Record under ``Statements on Introduced 
Bills and Joint Resolutions.'')
  Mr. BLUMENTHAL. I yield the floor and I suggest the absence of a 
quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Manchin). The Senator from Montana.
  Mr. TESTER. I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum 
call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

                          ____________________