[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Pages 13376-13377]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                                  DACA

  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I take this time to share with my 
colleagues a meeting that I had last Thursday in Montgomery County, MD, 
with CASA de Maryland. We put together a roundtable discussion to talk 
about immigration and the need for immigration reform and the concerns 
we had about the current status of people who are concerned about what 
is happening with immigration enforcement. That was before the 
President had made his announcement on terminating the DACA Program, 
which is the program that provides relief for the Dreamers--those who 
have been in this country for a long period of time and know only 
America as their home.
  I must tell you that, at that discussion I had last Thursday in 
Montgomery County, MD, the fear of uncertainty was clear to me. I 
talked to many families who were concerned about how the Trump 
administration was enforcing our current laws, what would be the 
resolution of the temporary protective status, TPS, under which people 
are here legally, and I had a chance to see firsthand some of the 
Dreamers who are here under the protection of the DACA Program.
  It was very clear to me that what the people in that meeting were 
looking for was leadership in Washington that recognized that it is in 
our national interest for us to provide the type of legal protection to 
these individuals who have made America their home--who took the risk 
to come here for a better life for their families.
  These individuals came to this country--the Dreamers, who are the 
children, particularly--when they came with their parents. It was the 
parents' decision to try to find a better life for their children. They 
know only America as their country. They do not know the countries from 
which they have come. America is their own home. They have helped to 
build this great Nation. They have attended our schools. They have 
joined our military. They have joined our workforce. They are, truly, 
the future of America.
  The DACA Program, which recently celebrated its fifth anniversary, 
provided protection for these Dreamers against their arbitrary removal. 
It applied only to those who had come to this country when they were 
younger than 16 years of age. They had to have been here before January 
2007. They had to have gone through a background check to make sure 
that they had not violated any of our criminal statutes, and they had 
to have been enrolled in schools or our military. It was really dealing 
with young people who were innocent with regard to any of the 
violations of our immigration laws. It really dealt with individuals 
who had come to this country and had been part of America.
  The DACA Program provided not only protection against their removal 
but gave them protection in the workforce. They were given 
documentation so that they could legally work here in the United States 
and get the protection of our labor laws and not be subjected to an 
underground economy or the abuses in the workforce that we sometimes 
see among immigrant families. So 800,000 children have taken advantage 
of the DACA Program. In my State of Maryland, 10,000 are registered 
under the DACA Program.
  Then came President Trump's decision this past week to terminate the 
program in 6 months--terminate it now, as far as new DACA 
registrations--but to terminate this program. That immediately created 
uncertainty and fear for 800,000 individuals in this country and their 
families.
  President Trump's decision is tragic in three ways. First, it has the 
potential of ripping families apart--800,000 people here in the United 
States. It creates uncertainty for those who are currently in the DACA 
Program. It creates fear as to what tomorrow will bring, and it will 
drive many of these individuals into the shadows, into the underground, 
into protecting themselves against the enforcement of removal.
  This decision by President Trump is tragic for a second reason. It 
will hurt our economy. The numbers in Maryland I think are somewhere 
around one-half of $1 billion to our State GDP from the Dreamers alone.
  The Dreamers are part of our economy. They are adding to our economy. 
I got a phone call from one of our major employers in Maryland 
expressing grave concern about President Trump's decision and the 
impact it will have on that company and on our economy. These are 
individuals who have been trained in our schools, who have gone to our 
colleges, who have served in our military, and who are now adding to 
the economic strength of America through their employment and their 
innovation. It makes no sense from the point of view of our economy.
  The third reason the President's decision is tragic is one that 
speaks to the strength of America--what makes America the great Nation 
it is. Yes, we are proud of those who serve in our military. We know 
that we have the strongest military in the world, and we are very proud 
of the way our military protects this country and provides global 
leadership. Yes, we are very proud of our economy and what it produces 
and the economic growth it provides for the people in this country and 
its engagement in the global economy. But what really makes America the 
unique, strong Nation that it is are our values, including what we 
stand for, our democratic institutions, the fact that we are the beacon 
of hope for people all over the world for providing opportunity. People 
can come to this country with dreams, and those dreams can become 
reality. That is what America's values are about.
  President Trump's decision to end the DACA Program runs afoul of the 
principles that have made America the great Nation it is--a safe haven 
for those who are seeking refuge from persecution, a nation that 
embraces diversity and recognizes diversity as our strength. President 
Trump's decision to end the DACA Program runs afoul of America's core 
values. It weakens us as a nation and certainly weakens our ability to 
lead globally with our values as we present them to the global 
community.
  So, as a result of that decision, what do we need to do? Each one of 
us needs to stand up and be counted, to speak out about America and 
what makes this Nation the great Nation it is. Then, collectively, we 
need to take action to show the American people that we will stand up 
not just for the Dreamers--and we need to stand up for the Dreamers--
but we will also stand up for the values that have made America the 
great Nation it is.
  I support S. 1615, a bipartisan bill that has been introduced by 
Senator Durbin and Senator Graham. I thank both of our colleagues for 
their leadership in bringing that bill forward. That bill will provide 
protection for the Dreamers and for the DACA Program so that Congress 
can say: No, Mr. President, we do not want to terminate this program. 
This program is in our national security interests. This program is why 
America is the strong Nation that it is. It is not only right for

[[Page 13377]]

800,000 people; it is right for all people in this country.
  This body showed great leadership a few years ago when we passed 
comprehensive immigration reform. I am for passing comprehensive 
immigration reform. Let's take care of and protect the Dreamers, and 
then let's work together to pass comprehensive immigration reform that 
we did just a few years ago that was never taken up in the House of 
Representatives.
  Let me close by telling a few stories about Dreamers in Maryland. One 
story appeared in the Baltimore Sun. It begins:

       Jesus Perez doesn't remember much about his journey to the 
     United States two decades ago, beyond his parents using a 
     simple phrase that would change the course of his life: 
     ``We're leaving.''
       Perez was 5 when he left Mexico. He's never been back.
       Perez [is] now a 25-year-old research assistant at the 
     Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
       For Perez, the DACA program was a ``relief'' that allowed 
     him to come out of the shadows. It also allowed him to take 
     the job at Hopkins, and to get a standard driver's license.
       ``To now have it in limbo means that you either lose it 
     all, and restart all over 
     again--'' Perez said, trailing off. ``I'm not going to let 
     that happen. We will win in the end.''

  I want Mr. Perez to know that we are going to fight here in the U.S. 
Senate, not just for his ability to remain here in the United States 
but for what that means for the strength of our country.
  Our university community in Maryland has strongly supported the DACA 
Program. Dr. Loh, president of the University of Maryland, College 
Park, called the decision ``antithetical to the core values'' of higher 
education. He vowed in a letter to students and staff to ``continue to 
identify all avenues available for offering support.''
  Johns Hopkins University President Ron Daniels and Provost Sunil 
Kumar reaffirmed the university's support for DACA, saying that Johns 
Hopkins University students directly impacted by the decision will be 
given the aid they need to complete their degrees. President Daniels 
and Provost Kumar said: ``The decision on DACA will not deter us from 
working to ensure that all members of our community can participate 
fully in our mission--the pursuit of excellence in education, discovery 
and service to the world.''
  As President Loh and President Daniels fight on behalf of the DACA 
children, we need to also let the American people know that we are 
going to fight for what makes this Nation the great Nation that it is.
  The Baltimore Sun also told the story of Monica Perez, who is one of 
dozens of Dreamers from Maryland who rallied near the White House on 
Tuesday to protest the decision. The 23-year-old Baltimore woman came 
to the United States from Mexico when she was 7 years old.
  Ms. Perez said DACA ``gave us the opportunity to feel safe. We've 
already been in the shadows for so long.'' Ms. Perez works for CASA de 
Maryland. ``I'm just scared for my parents, for myself, and for my 
whole community.''
  Mr. President, let us do the right thing and immediately extend the 
DACA Program. These are not 800,000 faceless individuals. I urge all of 
my colleagues to get to know the Dreamers and to understand their life 
story. It is heart-wrenching--the courage that they have shown, the 
obstacles they have overcome. Let's not put obstacles in their way. 
Let's allow their dreams to be able to come true. Let's stand up and be 
counted and fight for the Dreamers. Let's work together to protect 
their status, and then let's work together to fix our broken 
immigration system. That is our responsibility. This is our 
opportunity. Let's work together to get this done.
  With that, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. PETERS. Mr. 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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