Dream Act

Floor Speech

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, it was 10 years ago that my office in Chicago, IL, was contacted by a young woman. Theresa Lee, who is Korean by birth, had been part of something known as the Merit Music Program in Chicago. It is an amazing program. A lady in the later years of her life decided to leave some money to a program that would offer to children in the public schools a musical instrument and instruction. Her belief was that many of these students would take up the offer and that learning a musical instrument could be an important part of their future lives.

She was right. The Merit Music Program, at least as of last year, had a 100-percent placement rating of graduates in college. It turned out that giving a musical instrument to a young person and giving them a chance to develop that skill did a lot more than create music. It created self esteem, confidence, and a belief they could do something with their lives, even for many students who were from poor families.

Ten years ago, the Merit Music Program contacted us and told us about a young woman named Theresa Lee who was one of their star pupils. She had learned piano and had graduated to a level of competence they had seldom seen in their program. In fact, she had played in a concert and now, as she graduated from high school, she was accepted at several of the major music schools around the United States, including Julliard. As she filled out the application to go to school, though, she found out she ran into a problem. They asked on the application for the Julliard School of Music what her nationality or citizenship was.

She turned to her mother and said: What do I put down there?

Her mother said: Theresa, when we brought you to this country you were 2 years old, and I never filed any papers. I don't know what your status is in terms of your nationality.

The mother was an American citizen. Her brother and sister were American citizens. But she had never established her citizenship or claim for citizenship.

At the age of 18, she contacted my office and asked: What should I do?

We took a look at the law, and the law was very clear. Under the law of the United States of America, that young woman who came here at the age of 2 and had not filed any papers had to leave the United States and go to Brazil, which was the last country her parents traveled through on their way to America, and wait 10 years before she could apply to become legal in America. It did not sound fair to me. Two-year-olds do not have much voice in terms of whether they should file papers.

If anybody made a mistake, it was her parents, and they knew it. They could not correct it, though, and the law did not correct it. The law punished her, ultimately sending her back to Korea, a place she could never remember, with a language she did not speak.

So I introduced the DREAM Act, and the DREAM Act said: If you came to America under the circumstance that if you are brought here as a child, if you grew up in this country and graduated from high school, if you had no serious questions about your moral standing in the community, no serious problems with any criminal activity or background, we would give you a chance--just a chance.

The chance was they could either enlist in our military for at least 2 years or they could complete 2 years of college. If they did that, we would allow them to work toward legal status. All along we would be asking the same questions as the years went by: Have you done anything that would suggest to us that you should not be part of the United States of America? That was the DREAM Act. I introduced the bill 10 years ago.

An interesting story, what happened to Theresa. She went on to school at Julliard, and she did become an accomplished concert pianist. She has played a concert at Carnegie Hall. She has now married an American citizen, and she is legal in the United States. So the story had a happy ending. But for many of these young people it has no happy ending. They end up deported at the age of 18 or 19 because their parents did not file papers or could not file papers on their behalf.

That is why I introduced the DREAM Act, to give these young people a chance. Last month I chaired the first Senate hearing on the DREAM Act. There was compelling testimony from a number of witnesses. The Secretary of the Department of Education, Arne Duncan, testified about the talented students who would be eligible under the DREAM Act: the class valedictorians, the star athletes, honor students, and leaders in ROTC. Their options, however, are limited because they are undocumented. Secretary Duncan explained that the DREAM Act would make America a better and stronger country by giving these young people a chance to fulfill their potential.

Dr. Clifford Stanley testified. He is the Under Secretary for Personnel and Readiness from the Department of Defense. He testified that the DREAM Act would strengthen our national security by giving thousands of highly qualified, well-educated young people a chance to enlist in the Armed Forces.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano also testified in favor of the DREAM Act and said this law would strengthen our homeland security by allowing immigration agents to focus their time, attention, and resources on those who clearly are a danger in the United States and should be deported rather than on these young people who had never posed any threat to anyone.

LTC Margaret Stock, who taught immigration law at West Point Military Academy, testified about important restrictions included in the DREAM Act to prevent abuse.

The most compelling testimony came from this young woman, Ola Kaso. Ola Kaso was brought to the United States by her mother from Albania in 1998 when she was 5 years old. Last month she graduated from high school in Warren, MI, with a 4.4 grade point average. She has enrolled in the honors program at the University of Michigan as a pre-med student.

Ola has so much to contribute to America, but even today she faces deportation back to Albania, a country she barely remembers, a country she left when she was 5 years old.

She spoke for thousands of people just like her, young people who call themselves now the Dreamers. I often come to the floor of the Senate to tell their stories, and today I want to tell you about three others.

This is Tapiwa and Dominique Nkata. Tapiwa is on the left, Dominique is on the right. Their parents, John and Joan Nkata, brought the family to the United States from Malawi, in Africa, in 1990. At the time, Tapiwa was 4 years old and Dominique was only 11 months old.

The Nkatas came here legally, so they had work permits. John, an ordained Christian minister, worked as a Hospice counselor, his wife Joan worked as an accountant. The Nkatas filed papers to stay here permanently. For years their case was stuck in immigration court. Finally, in 2009 John and Joan Nkata were granted legal permanent residency in the United States, but by this time Tapiwa and Dominique were adults and unable to obtain legal status through their parents. Had the court moved more quickly and the decision made while they were still children, there would be no question about their documented status.

Earlier this year these two young women were placed in deportation proceedings. Dominique sent me a letter, and here is what she said about being deported to Malawi:

The looming fear of having everything I know, including part of my family, here in the United States while I am removed to the other side of the world, is crippling.

And Tapiwa wrote a letter and said:

I can't imagine my life in Africa. I am an American. I know this culture and speak this language. I pledge allegiance to this flag.

The Department of Homeland Security decided to give a 1-year stay in their deportation to Tapiwa and Dominique. I think that was the right thing to do. It would just be wrong to send these young women, who grew up in America and have so much to contribute, back to Malawi, a country they don't even remember.

Tapiwa is now 25. In 2007--listen to this--Tapiwa--on the left here--graduated summa cum laude from the University of Cincinnati with a degree in finance. For the past 2 years she worked at an accounting firm and dreams of being a certified public accountant. She cannot as long as she is undocumented. In her letter to me she said what America means to her:

Quite simply, when you say `The American Dream' all around the world they know what you are talking about.People who have never been to our shores, eaten our food, or even spoken our language have heard of a prosperous nation that above all else grants freedom and rights to all people.

Dominique, on the right, is now 21. Last month she graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a double degree in chemistry and premedicine. She is now working at University Hospital and the Jewish Hospital in the research department as a clinical studies assistant. Dominique is studying for the MCAT and plans to apply to medical school when her immigration status is resolved.

Dominique told me:

I dream of being a doctor and giving back to a country that has given so much to me.

So would America be better off if Tapiwa and Dominique are deported to Malawi or if they are allowed to continue to stay in the United States realizing their dreams and making us a better nation?

Let me introduce you to another dreamer. This is Jose Magana. He has a big smile on his face. Jose was brought to the United States from Mexico when he was 2 years old. Jose grew up in Arizona. He graduated as the valedictorian of his high school class. He enrolled in Arizona State University, becoming the first member of his family to attend college. Then Arizona passed a law prohibiting public universities from giving financial aid or instate tuition rates to undocumented students. Hundreds of students were forced to drop out of school. But Jose persevered. He found his calling on the speech and debate team where he ranked fifth in the Nation.

In 2008 Jose Magana graduated summa cum laude from Arizona State University with a major in business management. Jose couldn't work because of his legal status, so he went to law school. Next year Jose will graduate from Baylor University Law School in Waco, TX.

Despite his potential to give to this country, Jose will not be able to work as a lawyer because of his undocumented status. Jose sent me a letter, and here is what he said:

The worst part of being undocumented is the fact that legally the United States is not considered my home. I have not been to Mexico since I left when I was 2 years old. I don't have any friends or close family in Mexico. If I were to be deported, it would literally be like being thrown into a foreign country with a different language and culture. The United States is my home. I want to give back to this country I love.

Could we use someone with Jose's talent in America? Of course we could. For the last 10 years I have been working on the DREAM Act. There has been one constant: I have had the support not only of my colleagues in the Senate, but I have also had the support of the legislators across the United States. The faith community supports the DREAM Act because it is based on a fundamental moral principle that is shared by every religious tradition, and it is this: It is wrong to punish children for the actions of their parents.

Earlier this month I held a press conference to announce DREAM Sabbath. The DREAM Sabbath will take place this fall on Friday, September 23; Saturday, the 24th; and Sunday, the 25th. On the DREAM Sabbath, churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples around the country will be asked to dedicate time during their regular weekly worship service to have a conversation about the DREAM Act. When I announced the DREAM Sabbath, I was joined by religious leaders from a variety of faith traditions. One of my real heroes and friends, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, a good friend, who has been in the fight for social justice for years; Bishop Minerva Carcano, the first Hispanic woman to be elected bishop in the Methodist Church; Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, the president of the Nation's largest Hispanic Christian organization, with more than 30,000 member churches; Rev. Derrick Harkins, pastor of one of the most prominent African-American churches in our Nation's Capital; Rabbi Lisa Grushcow, representing the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society; and Imam Mohamed Magid, the head of the Nation's largest Muslim organization.

Mr. President, I want to enter into the Congressional Record the statements of two religious leaders who participated in that DREAM Sabbath announcement: Sister Simmone Campbell, executive director of NETWORK of the Catholic Social Justice Organization; and Bishop Richard Graham of the Lutheran Church.

I ask unanimous consent that those two statements be printed in the Record at the conclusion of my remarks.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

(See exhibit 1.)

Mr. DURBIN. In her statement, Sister Campbell quotes the prophet Joel, who spoke of our sons and daughters as prophets. Sister Campbell said:

Our sons and daughters are prophesying to us. They are telling us of a way that our nation should go in order to be whole, to be creative, to lead into the twenty-first century. We, the older generation, need to listen and act. Congress needs to enact the DREAM Act.

At the DREAM Act Sabbath announcement, we were joined by Gaby Pacheco. Gaby has become a great friend of mine. She is a wonderful young lady. She is one of the leaders of the DREAM Act students. Her parents brought her to America from Ecuador when she was 7 years old. She was the highest ranking Junior ROTC student in her high school. The Air Force tried to recruit Gaby. She was unable to enlist because she does not have legal status in the United States. She was brought here as a child. She is working on her bachelor's degree in special education and wants to teach autistic children.

I met her last year after she and three other DREAM Act students literally walked 1,500 miles from Miami, FL, to Washington, DC, to raise awareness of the DREAM Act. Along the way these four students were joined by hundreds of supporters who came out to welcome them. They called their trip the Trail of Dreams.

The goal of the DREAM Sabbath is to put a human face on the plight of the undocumented students, like Gaby, and educate America about the DREAM Act and, of course, the ultimate goal is to build up support to pass the DREAM Act. DREAM Act students need more than our prayers; they need our help. They need our help to pass the DREAM Act. Dreamers like Tapiwa and Dominique Nkata, Jose Magana, Ola Kaso, and Gaby Pacheco are Americans in their hearts. They have stood every day in the classrooms across America, pledging allegiance to our flag and singing the only National Anthem they know to the only country they know, a country that they love.

They are willing to serve in our military. They are willing to pursue an education to add to a better America. All they need is the permission slip of Congress to give them that chance. I ask my colleagues to support the DREAM Act. It is the right thing to do. It will make America stronger.

Exhibit 1
[From the Network, July 12, 2011]

Statement by Sister Simone Campbell, Executive Director

I have worried that the DREAM Act has been mis-named. Calling something a DREAM indicates that it is not real, has no substance, is far beyond reality. That has led me to wonder if it is actually making getting the legislation passed more difficult because everyone thinks dreams don't really come true.

Then I met students who would qualify for an earned path to citizenship if the bill passes. I found out that their dreams are rooted in the daily reality of their lives. They work to learn, support their families, encourage siblings and friends. They strive for better lives for themselves, their families and their communities. They work daily to make dreams come true.

This brought me to the realization that perhaps it is just in Washington where the American dream has become fantasy. The American dream has been built on the imagination and toil of immigrants. Our nation has prospered because of the innovation and creativity of all of the people who have come to create something new. In Washington it is tempting to forget the vision in exchange for partisan wrangling. This is wrong. We must step away from cynicism that second guesses every action and embrace the founding spirit of our nation.

As a person of faith I hold to the prophet Joel echoed in the Acts of the Apostles trusting that the day will come when ``Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.'' Our sons and daughters are prophesying to us. They are telling us of a way that our nation should go in order to be whole, to be creative, to lead into the twenty-first century. It is now time for the ``old men'' (and women) of Congress to dream their dream and take this first step toward comprehensive immigration reform. We the older generation need to listen and act. Congress needs to enact the DREAM Act this year.

Statement of the Rev. Richard Graham, Bishop of the Metropolitan Washington, DC Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

As the bishop of the Metropolitan Washington, DC Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, ELCA, I strongly support the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors, DREAM Act. The DREAM Act is critical legislation that would provide lawful permanent residency to undocumented youth who attend college or serve in the U.S. military for two years. DREAM Act supporters include President Obama, a number of former President George W. Bush administration officials, and the ELCA Presiding Bishop, the Rev. Mark S. Hanson.

Last year I joined Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service and Lutheran leaders to urge Congress to pass the DREAM Act. Although I was disappointed that the Senate failed to pass the bill, I stand committed to working with congregations in my synod to advance just and humane solutions for these ambitious and talented young people.

The DREAM Act is envisioned to bear fruit for young people who came to this country as children. They are Americans in every way except that they are not U.S. citizens. The DREAM Act would provide a path to U.S. citizenship for children who arrived in the United States before the age of 16, graduate high school or receive a GED, go to college or serve in the military and demonstrate that they are of good moral character. These young people should be allowed a path to become U.S. citizens because they have already proven that they are Americans and they should not be deported back to a country they do not know.

This issue is important to Lutherans in the United States. Lutherans and Lutheran congregations have strong immigrant roots. Almost all Lutherans can remember back a generation or two to when their grandparents or great grandparents struggled as new immigrants in this country. It is this immigrant tradition and our commitment to welcoming the stranger, regardless of immigration status, that compels the ELCA to support and call for the immediate passage of the DREAM Act.

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