Lofgren Supports Passage of Dream Act

Statement

Today, Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose) released the following statement supporting the passage of the Dream Act.

There are young people who were brought to America by their parents without immigration documents. Even though they did not make the decision to violate immigration law and were only doing what their parents told them to do, there is no opportunity under our system for these young people to "get right with the law." Many of these young people have no memory of the land where they were born. Many speak only English and cannot speak the language of the land of their birth.

The Dream Act lets them step forward, register their names and fingerprints, pay their taxes, pass background checks and then contribute to our nation's wellbeing. While their parents violated the law by immigrating without permission, the child should not suffer for the act of their parents. This bill will allow these young people to comply with the immigration laws, contribute to America and pay taxes. The Congressional Budget Office, the independent financial analyst for Congress, advises us that enacting this measure into law would actually reduce the deficit by an estimated $2.2 billion over the next ten years through a combination of new taxes that will be paid by "Dream ct" children and additional reductions in expenditures. I strongly urge my colleagues in the Senate to support this bill which honors our country's history as a nation of immigrants.

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