DACA

Floor Speech

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Mr. PETERS. Mr. President, I rise today as a proud Michigander, American, and the son of an immigrant. My mother Madeleine grew up in France and met my father Herb when he was serving overseas during World War II. They fell in love, were married, and she had the opportunity to immigrate to the United States where she started a new life with my dad and was proud to become a new citizen of the United States of America.
She worked hard as a nurse's aide and a union steward, and she provided inspiration and opportunity for me and my sisters. And, because the Detroit Tigers don't have a game on TV at this moment, I hope that she is home in Rochester watching me speak right now.

My mother's American experience informs my views on the nearly 7,000 Michiganders who have benefited from the protection of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program, known as DACA.

Let's look at the facts. The young men and women known as Dreamers and who are helped by DACA are students, serve in the military, launch new businesses, create jobs, and boost economic growth. These Dreamers did not choose to come to this country; they were brought here by their parents. They have no meaningful connections to the foreign countries they left as children and often don't even speak the language. They know no home other than the United States of America, and they were raised as Americans.

They have passed extensive background checks, paid fines, and continue to pay taxes, which reduces our budget deficit. They pay into Social Security, which increases its solvency for all Americans.

According to the CATO Institute, deporting the more than 700,000 DACA participants would cost--yes, cost--the Federal Government over $60 billion and reduce economic growth in this country by $280 billion over the next decade.

Rescinding DACA is not just cruel and unfair, it is a terrible economic policy and a bad deal for the American taxpayer.

Numbers can only say so much, so I often tell the story of a fellow Michigander, Ola Kaso. Ola is pictured right here. Ola's family came to the United States legally but unsuccessfully seeking asylum in 1998.

Ola was only 5 years old when she came to America. After 13 years in the country--13 years--the government attempted to deport her and her mother back to Albania, just weeks before she was set to graduate from high school. Backed by the support of fellow Michiganders, Ola's family was granted a stay of the deportation.
I am proud to report that Ola ultimately graduated as the valedictorian of her high school class. She recently graduated from the University of Michigan and plans to attend medical school. She is a beneficiary of the DACA Program.

Our Nation is facing a doctor shortage--especially in rural areas-- and this young woman wants to dedicate her

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life to caring for others. Deporting Ola makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. As a country that seeks the best and brightest, we should not spend taxpayer dollars to deport contributing members of our society, especially when they were brought here through no fault of their own and when they voluntarily came out of the shadows through DACA.

Let me be clear. I strongly disagree with President Trump's decision to rescind the DACA Program. Congress must provide leadership and help these young people who are giving back to our country. We must provide them with the certainty they deserve and take a positive step forward toward reforming our broken immigration system. We must move beyond the politics of scarcity and division.

The Dreamers are not taking away limited American jobs; they are creating new jobs and growing our economy. They are creating jobs with their own small businesses, helping American entrepreneurs grow their companies as they expand in their communities, and fighting to keep us safe as members of the U.S. Armed Forces. Our Nation needs more innovators, doers, and dreamers, not fewer.

I will fight for Ola and all of the Dreamers who make this country better, stronger, and more prosperous for all Americans--not just because it is good for our bottom line but because it is simply the right thing to do.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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