The Dream Act

Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, 2 years ago, I embarked on a legislative mission to pass a bill called the DREAM Act. The purpose of the DREAM Act was to give to young people who came to this country as children, and who were raised in the United States, who have graduated high school, who have done a well and made a good life in this country, a chance to become legal residents in the United States of America.

They are long-term U.S. residents. They have good moral character. They have graduated high school, and we say: If you will complete at least 2 years of college and military service in good standing, we will give you a chance to become legal.

There are thousands of young people who fit this description in the United States. They were brought here as kids. If their parents came to the United States and overstayed a visa or crossed the border when they shouldn't have, these children shouldn't be held accountable. They were children. We don't hold children accountable for any wrongdoing by their parents. They grew up here, they pledge allegiance to the flag in their classrooms here, they sing our national anthem, and many of them speak no other language other than English.

The purpose of the DREAM Act is that we should not punish children for their parents' actions. That is not the American way. Instead, the DREAM Act says to these students: America is going to give you a chance, a chance to continue living here and to make this an even better nation.

The DREAM Act is not just the right thing to do, it makes America a better country. The young people who would qualify for the DREAM Act are class valedictorians, star athletes, honor roll students, and ROTC leaders. They are the future doctors, soldiers, computer scientists, and engineers who will make this country even better.

The DREAM Act would strengthen our national security by giving thousands of highly qualified, well-educated young people the chance to enlist in the Armed Forces. The DREAM Act has the support of not only Secretary of Defense Robert Gates but also GEN Colin Powell.

The DREAM Act will help our economy by giving these talented young people the chance to become engineers and entrepreneurs, doctors, lawyers, teachers, small business owners, and nurses. That is why the DREAM Act has the support of business leaders from across the country, such as Rupert Murdoch and the CEOs of companies such as Microsoft and Pfizer.

The talented young people who would be eligible for the DREAM Act call themselves Dreamers. When I first embarked on this mission 10 years ago, they used to kind of hold back in the shadows of a meeting, kind of whisper to me as I went by that they would be saved if the DREAM Act were passed. Well, now they are stepping forward, and I am glad they are, so America can see who they are.

Every day these Dreamers contact my office to tell me their stories. These stories have energized me to keep up the fight. The last time we had a vote on this act on the Senate floor was last December. We had a majority. But when it comes to controversial issues, it takes 60 votes. I want to take this up again and give these young people a chance.

I want to tell you about two of these DREAM Act-eligible people.

Herta Llusho was brought to the United States from Albania when she was 11. She and her mother settled in Grosse Pointe, MI, a suburb of Detroit. Herta came here legally, but shortly after arriving, Herta's mother filed an application to stay in the United States.

Herta quickly learned English and became an academic star. She graduated from Grosse Pointe South High School with a 4.05 grade point average. In high school, she was a member of the varsity track team, won an Advanced Placement Scholar Award, and was a member of the National Honor Society.

Here is a picture of Herta at graduation. Herta is currently a junior at the University of Detroit Mercy, where she is an honors student studying to be an electrical engineer. She has a grade point average of 3.98 and has completed two internships at engineering firms.

She is also very involved in the community, volunteering at homeless shelters, tutoring programs, and her church. Listen to what one of her friends says about Herta:

I am humbled by Herta's willingness and desire to serve. I have had the privilege of going to the same church at which she faithfully serves. She spends hours tutoring kids and volunteering with the junior high Sunday school class. It is a joy to watch so many children run up to her at church because of the love they receive when they are with her.

In 2009, after 9 years of legal proceedings and deportation proceedings, here is what Herta said about being placed in deportation.

I was shocked. My friends are here, my education is here, my community is here. All of a sudden, I was asked to leave behind everything I know and go back to a country I barely know. When I lived there, I was little, so I don't remember much and I barely speak Albanian any more.

Herta's community rose to her defense. Thousands of people signed an online petition to stop her deportation. Last year, the Department of Homeland Security granted Herta a 1-year stay--just 1 year. The Department is now considering whether to delay it for another year. I sincerely hope they will.

Would it be a good use of taxpayer dollars to deport Herta? Of course not. There is so much discussion in America today about what we need from our young people for America to succeed in the future in the so-called STEM fields--science, technology, engineering, and math. Every year we issue thousands of H-1B visas to bring foreign workers to the United States in the STEM fields.

Herta is a straight-A student in electrical engineering, a STEM field. She doesn't need an H-1B visa. She is a homegrown American talent. Why in the world would we create a law to allow someone who has never lived in the United States to come here and legally reside to become an electrical engineer and tell Herta, who has lived here all of the life she remembers, she has to leave? That is just plain wrong.

Herta came to Capitol Hill to speak at a briefing I sponsored for the DREAM Act, and this is what she said.

I'm a typical story. There are thousands of stories out there just like mine. Please support the DREAM Act so students like me don't have to leave. We are worth it. This is a country we have come to love.

Herta is right. She and thousands of others are worth it. They have so much to contribute to America if we just give them a chance.

Let me introduce you to one other student. This is Julieta Garibay. Julieta was brought to the United States in 1992 at the age of 1. She graduated from the University of Texas with a bachelor's degree in nursing. She was on the dean's list and the president's honor roll and volunteered more than 500 hours at hospitals in Dallas and Austin. Julieta went on to earn a master's degree at the University of Texas in public health nursing. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau, the international Honor Society of Nursing. She has been a registered nurse since 2004.

Here is the problem. Julieta is undocumented. She cannot legally work in the United States of America. Let me tell you something else about Julieta. She is married to SSG Armen Weinrick, who serves in the U.S. Air Force Reserves. Here is a picture of Julieta and Staff Sergeant Weinrick at Julieta's graduation. Staff Sergeant Weinrick is currently awaiting deployment. He will go overseas to defend our country, but while he is gone serving America, his wife could be deported. That is just plain wrong.

Julieta sent me a letter, and here is what she said about her dreams for the future.

I desperately need the DREAM Act to pass so I can practice my beloved profession--nursing. I have been dreaming of being a nurse for the past 7 years since I earned my nursing license. Once the DREAM Act passes, I will join the military in hopes of making up the lost time and serve the country I call home as a nurse.

Do we need more nurses in America? Of course, we do. In fact, the United States imports thousands of foreign-trained nurses each year to meet the needs of our country. What is wrong with this picture? This young lady has a master's degree in nursing from the University of Texas. I am sure my colleague on the Senate floor would acknowledge that is one of the most highly regarded universities in America. She has this master's degree, and they are planning to deport her. If they do, she will probably cross paths in the airport with a nurse coming here from some foreign country on a work visa to work in our hospitals. That isn't fair, it isn't smart, and it just doesn't make sense.

The DREAM Act would give Julieta the chance to serve the America she loves, the America she calls home.

I first introduced the DREAM Act in 2001. Since then I have met so many immigrant students who would qualify, such as Herta Llusho and Julieta Garibay. They are Americans in their hearts. They are willing to serve our country and to make it a better place. We have to give them a chance.

I ask my colleagues: Please, in your heart of hearts, think about the fairness and justice behind this legislation. Let's support and pass the DREAM Act. It is the right thing to do. It will make America a stronger nation.

Madam President, I yield the floor.

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