[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Pages 15703-15704]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                                  DACA

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, 15 years ago Senator Dick Durbin introduced 
the DREAM Act in the U.S. Senate. This legislation provided a path to 
citizenship for young people brought to the U.S. as children.
  These young people call themselves DREAMers. And they are as American 
as you or me. They belong to this country culturally and linguistically 
and are American in all but paperwork. For many of them, this is the 
only country they have ever known.
  In 2010, the DREAM Act passed the House and came to the Senate for a 
vote. Sadly, Republicans killed the bill--eliminating the hopes and 
dreams of hundreds of thousands of DREAMers. Because Republicans 
refused to act, it was up to President Obama.
  In 2011, I joined 21 other Senators in asking President Obama to 
grant deferred action to immigrant youth who would have qualified under 
the DREAM Act and who are not an enforcement priority. And in 2012, 
President Obama's administration did just that. They announced that 
young people who were brought to the United States as children could 
apply for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, also known as DACA.
  This brought nearly 800,000 young people out of the shadows. These 
young men and women are our newest college students, teachers, 
engineers, and small business owners. They contribute to our 
communities and make America better.
  In Nevada alone, DACA has helped over 12,000 DREAMers--DREAMers like 
Brenda Romero. Brenda was just 2 years old when she crossed the border 
in southern California with her mother to reunite with members of their 
family.
  Growing up in Las Vegas, Brenda was like any other American kid. She 
excelled in school, participated in student government and played the 
cello in the orchestra. But soon enough, she realized what it truly 
meant to be undocumented. Her friends could get their driver's 
licenses; Brenda could not. Her peers could get legally paying jobs; 
Brenda could not. Her classmates could speak with recruiters from the 
Armed Services about career opportunities; Brenda could not. Brenda 
described the months after graduating high school as one of the lowest 
points in her life.
  But that all changed with DACA. She was finally able to get a job and 
enrolled in the College of Southern Nevada as soon as she saved enough 
money. Brenda became student body president her second year at the 
College of Southern Nevada, working to help other students who faced 
struggles similar to hers. During her time as student body president, 
Brenda helped award $10,000 to her fellow classmates in scholarship 
funds.
  Brenda graduated from CSN with an associate's degree in art and is 
currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in human services at the 
University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She wants to be a higher education 
counselor, and she is already well on her way. She is already making 
her mark on the UNLV campus. As part of the Undocu-network Club, Brenda 
is helping to bring counseling and services to students in need and 
promoting visibility for undocumented students to the school 
administration.
  Brenda's story is impressive, but it is not unique. Every Senator has 
a story

[[Page 15704]]

to tell like Brenda's. There are young men and women just like her in 
all 50 states.
  In addition to the moral reasons for supporting DACA, there are 
strong economic reasons. DACA recipients will add $433 billion to the 
economy over 10 years. After DACA, more than two-thirds of recipients 
were able to secure a job and their wages rose by 42 percent. Six 
percent of recipients started their own businesses, a rate that is 
nearly double the rate among the entire U.S. population. Fifty-four 
percent of recipients bought cars, and 12 percent bought houses, all of 
which means significant new tax revenue for States and localities. DACA 
recipients will add $433 billion to the economy over 10 years. It is 
not surprising that the majority of Americans--almost 60 percent--
oppose repeal of DACA.
  As with Brenda, DACA has opened doors of opportunity for hundreds of 
thousands of young people.
  We hoped that it would be a stop-gap measure until we passed 
immigration reform. The Senate overwhelmingly passed a bipartisan bill 
but the House refused to bring it to a vote. With the outcome of the 
election, it isn't likely that comprehensive immigration reform will 
happen over the next 4 years. That is why it is so important for the 
next administration to continue this vital program. For Brenda and 
hundreds of thousands like her, losing DACA status means being adrift 
in the only country she calls home.
  I urge the next administration: Don't put almost 800,000 young people 
back in the shadows where they are afraid. Don't force hundreds of 
thousands of DREAMers to lose their jobs. And don't squander the huge 
economic benefits to this country.
  If Republicans want to do something, then they should pass the DREAM 
Act.

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