DREAM Act

Floor Speech

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, 10 years ago, I introduced the DREAM Act, legislation that would allow a select group of immigrant students with great potential to contribute more fully to America.

The DREAM Act would give these students a chance to earn legal status if they came to the U.S. as children, are long-term U.S. residents, have good moral character, graduate from high school, and complete 2 years of college or military service in good standing.

The DREAM Act would make America a stronger country by giving these talented immigrants the chance serve in our military and contribute to our economy.

Tens of thousands of highly-qualified, well-educated young people would enlist in the Armed Forces if the DREAM Act becomes law.

And studies have found that DREAM Act participants would contribute literally trillions of dollars to the U.S. economy during their working lives.

These young people have overcome great obstacles to succeed. They are valedictorians, star athletes, honor-roll students, and ROTC leaders. Now they want to give back to their country. The DREAM Act would give them that chance.

For the last 10 years I have been working on the DREAM Act, there has been one constant: strong support from the faith community. The DREAM Act is supported by almost every religious group you can imagine: Catholic, Methodist, Episcopal, Lutheran, and Evangelical Christians; Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform Jews; and Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs.

The faith community supports the DREAM Act because it is based on a fundamental moral principle that is shared by every religious tradition--it is wrong to punish children for the actions of their parents.

These students were brought to this country as children. They grew up here pledging allegiance to the American flag and singing the only national anthem they've ever known. They are American in their hearts and they should not be punished for their parents' decision to bring them here.

For the next several weeks, people of faith all across this country will show their support for the DREAM Act by celebrating the first-ever ``DREAM Sabbath.''

On the DREAM Sabbath, at churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples around the country, Americans of many religious backgrounds will offer prayers for the immigrant students who would be eligible for the DREAM Act. At many of these events, these DREAM Act students will tell their stories.

The DREAM Sabbath will take place over several weekends in September and October, and so far, there are more than 320 DREAM Sabbath events planned, in 44 States.

In June, when I announced the DREAM Sabbath, I was joined by religious leaders from a great variety of faith traditions, including: Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, a good friend who has been a leader in the fight for immigration reform for many years; Bishop Minerva Carcaño, the first Hispanic woman to be elected bishop in the Methodist Church; Reverend Samuel Rodriguez, the president of the Nation's largest Hispanic Christian organization, with more than 30,000 member churches; Reverend Derrick Harkins, the pastor of one of the most prominent African-American churches in our Nation's Capitol, who was representing the National Association of Evangelicals; Bishop Richard Graham of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; Bishop David Jones of the Episcopal Church; Rabbi Lisa Grushcow of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society; and Imam Mohamed Magid, the head of the Nation's largest Muslim organization.

The DREAM Sabbath events reflect this great religious diversity. Let me give you just a few examples of the congregations who are observing the DREAM Sabbath: the First Presbyterian Church of Cheyenne, WY; the Central United Methodist Church in Fairmont, WV; the Unitarian Church of Lincoln, NE; Galloway Memorial Episcopal Church in Elkin, NC; Grace United Methodist Church in Missoula, MT; Trinity Episcopal Church in Winner, SD; the Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops; the Florida Catholic Conference of Bishops; and the following Catholic dioceses, just to name a few: Cincinnati, OH; Cleveland, OH; Davenport, IA; Evansville, IN; and Salt Lake City, UT. Just last night, in Tucson AZ, the DREAM Sabbath was recognized at the National Hispanic Evangelical Immigration Summit, a gathering of 1,200 Evangelical ministers. This summit was convened by Reverend Sam Rodriguez and the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference and I want to thank them for their leadership.

In my home State of Illinois, I plan to observe the DREAM Sabbath at a number of places, including: Anshe Sholom B'nai Israel Congregation, a Modern Orthodox temple, where, by the way, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is a congregant; Old St. Pats Church, my home parish in Chicago; and the Church of the Holy Spirit in Schaumberg.

I would like to invite all of my colleagues and everyone listening today to participate in the DREAM Sabbath. If you are interested in becoming part of this important national movement, you can visit www.dreamsabbath.org for more information or call my office at 202-224-2152.

The DREAM Sabbath will put a human face on the plight of undocumented students who grew up in this country and help build support for passage of the DREAM Act.

DREAM Act students need our prayers, but they need more than that--they need our help to pass the DREAM Act.

These young people are American in their hearts. They are willing to serve our country, if we would only give them a chance. Passing the DREAM Act is the right thing to do and it will make America stronger.

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