[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Pages 9552-9553]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           IMMIGRATION REFORM

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, the Statue of Liberty stands as a universal 
symbol of hope and freedom. Engraved within its pedestal are the words 
of Emma Lazarus, a call etched for the world to see.

       Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning 
     to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. 
     Send these, the homeless, the tempest-tossed to me. I lift my 
     lamp beside the golden door!

  For countless generations, our fathers and grandfathers, mothers and 
grandmothers, have braved oceans, deserts, and rivers to answer that 
call. As a result, the United States has been empowered by the 
contributions of immigrants from around the world--immigrants who came 
in pursuit of the American dream and have pursued this dream through 
strong family values, hard work, and love of country.
  My wife's father, my father-in-law, emigrated here from Russia. My 
grandmother came from England. My family, like so many American 
families, has its immigrant stories to tell.
  This month is Immigrant Heritage Month. As we celebrate our shared 
immigrant heritage, we must work to ensure that America welcomes future 
generations of immigrants with the dignity and respect we wish for our 
own families.
  The United States has become the greatest Nation on Earth because of 
the hard work, dedication, and diversity immigrants brought to these 
shores. Our strength lies in our ability to embrace the richness 
immigrants bring to the American story. Just look at some of our 
Nation's most successful companies: Google, Yahoo, General Electric, 
IBM. These are all modern companies, but over the centuries, we have 
had life stories, where just like Google, Yahoo, General Electric, and 
IBM, all these American companies were founded by immigrants or the 
children of immigrants.
  I have seen personally the contributions of immigrants and the 
positive impact that a diversity of backgrounds has on shaping public 
policy. My staff represents generations of immigrants brought to this 
country. One staff member was born in the Philippines and emigrated 
with her mother to Las Vegas. Another left Nicaragua in the 1980s in 
the midst of a brutal civil war and settled in Carson City. Others came 
from Mexico, El Salvador, and Poland. Much like our Nation, my office 
is all the better because it reflects the diverse backgrounds, 
communities, and perspectives of those who have immigrated to Nevada.
  Nevada has a particularly vibrant international community. Las Vegas 
is home to large Latino, Asian, Pacific Islander, and Armenian 
communities. Northern Nevada has the same, but in addition to that, it 
is the home to proud descendants of immigrants from the Basque Country.
  Without the contributions made by generations of proud immigrants, 
Nevada would not be the State that it is today. Immigrants have been 
leaders. They protect our Nation, and they have taught our children. 
The immigrants who heeded the call engraved on the Statue of Liberty 
have altered this country for the better. We are and will always be a 
Nation of immigrants.
  I have devoted years of legislative effort to fixing our broken 
immigration system. In 2010 after Republicans blocked the DREAM Act, it 
became clear to me and to other Senators that Republicans were not 
going to cooperate. So we urged the President to take administrative 
action as the Republicans continued to block legislative efforts.
  Three years ago today, the President announced that young people who 
do not present a risk to national security would become eligible for 
relief from deportation through the Deferred Action for Childhood 
Arrivals Program. As a result of this action, over 660,000 DREAMers 
have been approved, including almost 12,000 Nevadans. These individuals 
no longer live in fear of deportation. They can now contribute more 
fully to our country, as college students, teachers, small business 
owners, and artisans. These individuals were brought here as young 
children. Most do not remember the countries in which they were born. 
When they pledge allegiance it is to the United States. They love this 
country and are Americans in all but paperwork. These young people can 
now become teachers, own businesses, and further contribute to the 
American economy. They can secure a better future for themselves, their 
families, and our country. The program is a temporary solution for a 
broken immigration system.
  Comprehensive immigration reform is the best way to repair our 
immigration system and preserve the integrity of the American dream. In 
the Senate we passed a bill almost 2 years ago for comprehensive 
immigration reform, but House Republicans refused even to allow a vote 
on that legislation. Had they allowed a vote on the legislation, it 
would have passed by a big margin because virtually every Democrat 
would have voted for it and a number of Republicans would have voted 
for it. But the Speaker decided no, they wouldn't allow a vote on it, 
and they haven't. But because the Republicans would not pass 
immigration reform, President Obama acted again within his legal 
authority to create a new program for the parents of U.S. citizens and 
green card holders that would in effect take care of the parents of 
these DREAMers. Those programs would be in effect now if it were not 
for a politically motivated lawsuit filed by a Republican challenging 
the program.
  The Republicans say it is about the President, but they really are 
attacking and separating American families. In the Senate, Republicans 
have tried repeatedly to stop President Obama's efforts.
  The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program has transformed 
the lives of hundreds of thousands of young people over the past 3 
years. Shutting

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down this program would cause the deportation of young men and women to 
countries they don't know.
  We, with the President, will do everything in our power to protect 
and defend this program and to fight the baseless lawsuit that is 
preventing over 5 million additional people for the American dream. The 
Supreme Court has been clear that Presidents have the authority for 
Federal immigration enforcement priorities. I am confident that the 
President's actions will ultimately be upheld, and I will continue to 
fight to protect those programs and keep families together.
  I look forward to the day when programs such as DACA are replaced 
with permanent comprehensive immigration reform, which is so vitally 
important.
  Before closing, on the floor today is the assistant Democratic 
leader. He has been on this floor articulating the importance of these 
DREAMers and what they do for our country, and what initially was their 
potential for our country. Now of course it has already been proven 
that their potential was even underscored. They have done so much more 
than we even anticipated they could do. I appreciate very much my 
friend, the senior Senator from Illinois, for his advocacy of this 
program and his tireless efforts for justice in America.
  So I hope that we will live up to the words on the Statue of Liberty, 
at the lamp beside the golden door, which is beckoning to people from 
other shores.
  Mr. President, will you announce the business of the day.

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