DACA

Floor Speech

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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 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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