Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act of 2010

Floor Speech

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Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my strong support for H.R. 1751, the American DREAM Act, a landmark bill that will provide hope and opportunity to hundreds of thousands of young people in our country.

Mr. Speaker, we all know that America's immigration system is broken and badly in need of reform. While H.R. 1751 may not make all the changes necessary to repair our system, it does take an important step forward by fixing one of the most unfair aspects of our immigration laws. Under current law, undocumented immigrants who came to this country before the age of 16, brought by their parents and loved ones, are punished by being prevented from becoming citizens of the United States.

I have seen the injustice of this law firsthand. Just last year, Rigo Padilla, one of the top students at Noble Street Charter High School, was detained and scheduled for deportation by immigration officials when authorities learned that he was undocumented. Rigo came to the United States at the age of six and has since excelled in the classroom. Rigo is precisely the type of person we want to support in the United States and yet our immigration laws consider him an ``outlaw.''

The American DREAM Act would change this unjust law by giving students who have good moral character and have lived in the U.S. for at least five years the opportunity to go on to college and/or enroll in America's armed services, regardless of their immigration status. I strongly believe that all youth residing in this country should have access to all military and educational opportunities available. In the vast majority of cases, immigrant students and soldiers will continue to reside in this country for most, if not all, of their adult lives, and it is important that we provide them with all the tools necessary to become full participants in and contributors to our society.

I would like to thank my good friend Luis Gutierrez for his tireless efforts on behalf of all immigrants in America today. I also want to acknowledge the incredible hard work of countless youth activists across the country who campaigned for this bill. It is because of their work that the American DREAM Act is one step closer to becoming a reality. I strongly urge my colleagues to support this important bill.

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