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Floor Speech

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Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, I rise today to discuss an issue I have been working on for 23 years, the plight of America's Dreamers. I first introduced the DREAM Act more than two decades ago with Republican Senator Orrin Hatch, who was then the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

This bipartisan bill would provide a pathway to citizenship for young immigrants who were brought to the United States as children and allow them to remain in this country, the only home many of them had ever known.

Dreamers grew up alongside our kids, with the same hopes and dreams of getting their first job, their driver's license, even going to college. Many have gone on to serve our Nation as doctors, nurses, teachers, engineers, and first responders. Some have shown their loyalty to this country by serving in the Armed Forces.

Yet without congressional action, Dreamers spend every day in fear of their lives being uprooted by the threat of deportation. Twelve years ago, in response to a bipartisan request from myself and Senator Richard Lugar, President Obama established the DACA Program.

DACA has protected more than 830,000 young people from deportation, all of whom were brought to this country as children, some as young as a few months old.

Now, I realize for many of us the outcome of this month's elections was not what we wanted, fought for, or voted for. However, my priority of providing a safe pathway to citizenship for Dreamers has not changed because of the election. No matter who sits in the Oval Office, I will work with the President in good faith to help provide these young adults a chance, finally, at the American dream.

I would like to share the story of a talented Dreamer. He is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for this country. He is the 146th story of Dreamers that I have highlighted on the Senate floor. His name is Chieh Wi Chen, brought to the United States from Taiwan when he was 11 years old, grew up in New York City, and believed in the importance of community and country. He eagerly registered for Junior ROTC in high school, enlisted in the Army in 2016, and earned his associate's degree in criminal justice from Queensborough Community College.

He was on Active Duty for 4 years, stationed at Fort Jackson, which was then known as Fort Lee, before being deployed to countries including Saudi Arabia and South Korea.

While he was deployed in South Korea, Chieh was able to take his oath of allegiance to the United States and become a citizen. Today, as an Army veteran, he is a proud owner of his own tea shop, creating jobs for others and supporting the local economy.

DACA opened a path for Chieh that allowed him to pursue the American dream. DACA was always intended as a temporary stopgap until Congress finally got around to fixing this broken immigration system in America. In Chieh's case, DACA was the stepping stone he needed to finally serve our Nation and reach his full potential.

Yet, since President Obama established the program, Republicans have waged a relentless campaign to overturn DACA and deport these Dreamers back to countries they never remember. Now this program is hanging by a thread in the courts due to legal challenges from Republican State attorneys general, and DACA recipients are forced to live with uncertainty every day.

Last September, a Federal judge in Texas declared the DACA Program illegal. Though the decision left in place protections for current DACA recipients while it is on appeal, Dreamers live in constant fear that the next court decision will upend their lives. The litigation has also prevented at least 100,000 additional Dreamers from registering for the program.

Madam President, our military is facing the most serious recruitment challenge in modern time. Only a quarter of Americans meet recruitment standards that would qualify them to serve in the military without receiving a waiver.

We have seen time and again that DACA holders and Dreamers are ready and willing to serve America, to risk their lives for this country. But despite the success of veterans like Chieh, DACA holders can no longer enlist in the military, even though they went to school in the United States, pledged allegiance to our flag for decades, and know no other country.

During his first term, then-President Trump tried to shut down the DACA Program, but his effort was blocked by the Supreme Court.

On a personal note, the first time I ever met Donald Trump was just minutes after he had been sworn in as President of the United States for his first term. I had a chance at a luncheon to walk up and shake his hand and congratulate him and to ask a question. My question to him was: What are you going to do about the Dreamers? What about these kids who are here in the United States, brought here as children who want to be part of our future--what will you do about them, Mr. President?

He said: Don't worry. We'll take care of those kids.

Sadly, in the 4 years of the first term of President Trump, that didn't happen. The opposite did. Many efforts were made by his Department of Justice and other Agencies to stop the DACA Program and to stop any effort to create a Dreamers Program. That is a sad reality.

I urge my colleagues to meet with these Dreamers personally. That is all I ask. Whether you support DACA or support the Dream Act, meet with them and hear their stories. Understand that decisions were made by their family which may have violated the law, but they were kids at the time those decisions were made. They have proven with their own personal lives and commitment that they truly want to be part of the future of America.

Are we better served because this man decided to enlist in the military and protect our country? Of course. His return to Taiwan would be at the expense of the safety and security of the United States.

Dreamers like Chieh have earned the right to put down roots, start their families, further their education, and continue to contribute to America. It is time for Congress to do something on a bipartisan basis and pass the Dream Act. It is not only the right thing to do; it is long overdue.

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