[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 13440]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                PERSONAL STORIES OF DREAMERS IN PORTLAND

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, yesterday I was standing next to John 
Lewis as we joined our Democratic colleagues from the House and the 
Senate who delivered a spirited message of resolve to fight Donald 
Trump's cruelty towards almost 800,000 young Americans and, of course, 
several million other members of their families, their friends, their 
employers, who all had their lives turned upside down by Trump's 
senseless, unnecessary decision.
  Strange for somebody who professes to love the DREAMers, Trump is 
caught in his own trap. He clearly didn't know what he was doing, 
trying to figure out ways to pass responsibility for his decision on to 
others. But, of course, that is sort of what we have come to expect 
from someone who appears to care only for himself. He was afraid, even, 
to deliver the message himself. Typical of Donald Trump, he outsourced 
the decision to Jeff Sessions, who Trump spent most of the summer 
demeaning.
  Now, I think there is a simple solution: take it back. Donald Trump 
is famous for mulligans on the golf course, do-overs. If he didn't like 
the shot, he would just do it again. Well, let's declare a DACA 
mulligan. Take it back. Yes, it might look foolish, but that really 
hasn't stopped him before.
  In the meantime, the outrage builds: the community of faith, the 
business community, people across the country who are understanding the 
lunacy of this decision, its unfairness. But the most telling and 
powerful points are from the young DREAMers themselves.
  My colleagues have delivered this message from people whom they have 
heard from in their districts. I have countless ones that have been 
shared with us.
  Jamie, a 31-year-old father of two, a DACA recipient, was 12 when his 
family fled to the United States to escape poverty and corruption. For 
9 years, he has dedicated his life to helping young people cope with 
these challenges. He is working with young people impacted by the 
issue, concerned about their mental health and their well-being.
  Eddie arrived from Mexico as a 1-year-old baby. He really didn't 
understand the impact of being undocumented until he applied for 
college and was not eligible for Federal assistance, but eventually he 
attended and graduated from Portland State University; and he has 
become the first undocumented student admitted to Oregon Health & 
Science University School of Dentistry. Scheduled to graduate next 
year, he wants to be able to serve the community that raised him.
  Karla, arrived as a 4-year-old, is currently a student, but whose 
concern is the message that is being sent to others whom she works 
with. DACA recipients are not all young professionals or 
valedictorians. Some work in fast-food restaurants and are struggling 
to get through community college.
  She makes the point that some may call her a DREAMer, but she felt 
that the real DREAMers were her parents, who had the dream for her. 
They fought to come to this country to raise her and give her the 
opportunity to work, attend school, and live without fear of 
deportation.
  These are compelling stories, Mr. Speaker, but the one that stands 
out in my mind most clearly was one of my first meetings after the 
election. I was meeting with a number of the young DREAMers, listening 
to their concerns, their apprehensions. The conversation stopped with 
one young man who just said, ``What country should I go to?'' He had 
choices to go to Canada or Europe. He was an accomplished student, 
ambitious.
  ``What country should I go to?'' I must admit, at the time, I 
counseled him to not give up on the United States too quickly. I wonder 
what he thinks today.

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