[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Pages 9558-9559]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    3RD ANNIVERSARY OF DACA PROGRAM

  Ms. HIRONO. Madam President, I would like to take a few minutes to 
shift gears to another issue of great importance. This issue is more 
hopeful. On June 15, 2012, President Obama enacted DACA--or Deferred 
Action for Childhood Arrivals--granting deferred action to DREAMers all 
across the country. Three years later, almost 700,000 hard-working 
young people are proof that deferred action works.
  DACA has changed the lives of countless students who were brought to 
our country as undocumented children through no fault of their own. The 
President's action has been truly transformative for many young people 
in Hawaii. Let me tell you about three such young people.
  Gabriela emigrated from Brazil with her family at the age of 15. 
Despite a 3.8 GPA in high school, she found herself unable to go to 
college because she lacked required documentation. After receiving 
DACA, Gabriela enrolled in a community college, paying instate tuition, 
and is receiving her associate's degree in the spring of 2015 and 
transferring to the University of Hawaii to earn her bachelor's degree. 
Receiving DACA was a life-changing moment for Gabriela because it 
enabled her to do everyday things that she was never able to do before, 
such as getting a driver's license, opening a bank account, renting her 
own apartment. It also enabled her to get an education, start a career, 
and live up to her full potential.
  Sam was born in Tonga and brought to Hawaii when he was only 4 years 
old. His parents petitioned for residency for the whole family. But as 
a result of a slow and ineffective immigration system, Sam was over 18 
years old by the time their petition became current. As a result, 18-
year-old Sam was put into deportation proceedings and came very close 
to being torn away from his family and deported to a country he no 
longer remembered. Thankfully, the President announced the DACA Program 
and Sam was granted a stay of deportation and allowed to remain with 
his family. Today, Sam works as a music director at his church and is 
currently saving money to return to school and seek his dream of higher 
education.
  Shingai is a DREAMer from Zimbabwe, who immigrated to the United 
States when he was 12. He did not find out he was undocumented until he 
graduated from high school and decided to apply for college. Shingai 
was a star football athlete and won a full football scholarship to go 
to college. Unfortunately, with stardom came immediate attention. Due 
to his undocumented status, he was forced to quit his dream and protect 
himself and his family from the public eye. Shingai knew the importance 
of education, so he pursued his degree a few classes at a time. This 
semester, he is finally set to graduate and earn a bachelor's in 
political science from Hawaii Pacific University. Receiving DACA has 
enabled Shingai to come out of the shadows and share his story in order 
to raise awareness and empower immigrant youth in Hawaii.
  These DREAMers no longer have the fear of deportation and family 
separation hanging over their heads each and every day. DACA recipients 
are now free to live their lives, to seek an education and work as 
teachers, engineers, enter our armed services, become business owners.
  DACA is life-changing for these young people, but it also has helped 
all Americans.
  Forty-nine percent of DREAMers who were granted DACA were able to 
open their first bank account, 33 percent were able to obtain a credit 
card, 60 percent have been able to gain new jobs, contributing to our 
tax base and our economy. Experts estimate that all deferred action 
recipients will add $230 billion to our gross domestic product in the 
next decade. Quite simply, DACA works.
  The American public stands with our DREAMers and immigrant families 
and smart policies like DACA. Over 70 percent of Americans reject the 
mass deportation approach favored by some and instead support the 
President's Executive action. However, DACA is only a temporary 
solution to address one part of our broken immigration system. It is 
not a substitute for comprehensive immigration reform.
  It has been roughly 2 years since the Senate passed an immigration 
reform bill with strong bipartisan support. After House Republicans 
refused to act on comprehensive immigration reform, President Obama 
built on the success of DACA to use his well-established Executive 
authority to expand the DACA Program and create a new program for the 
parents of children born as U.S. citizens. I strongly support the 
President's action.
  Both of these programs could be up and running, helping families and 
individuals, millions of them, but for a lawsuit filed by some 
Republican Governors opposed to immigration reform. We must continue 
fighting to provide relief for millions of parents who

[[Page 9559]]

should be signing up for DAPA right now, paying their fees and applying 
for work permits, additional young people who qualify for DACA as well 
as millions of other hard-working families facing deportation every 
single day in our country.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. COATS. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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