Durbin: GOP Bill Would Deport 600,000 Dreamers And Shut Down DACA Program
Press Release
With just 3 days until the short-term funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security expires, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) came to the Senate Floor today to urge Senate Republicans to abandon efforts to play politics with the lives of young people impacted by immigration policies like Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). During his speech, Durbin shared the story of Mithi Del Rosario, who received DACA after she graduated from the University of California -- Los Angeles (UCLA) and is now working as a research assistant at the UCLA School of Medicine. Mithi has been able to apply to medical school because of the creation of the DACA program.
Mithi was brought to the United States from the Philippines when she was five years old and grew up in California. She has a degree in psychology from UCLA and volunteers as a research assistant in a lab that studies infants at high risk of developing autism. She also volunteered as a crisis counselor for UCLA Peer Helpline, advising students who were victims of rape, child abuse, and substance abuse. Mithi also volunteered as a mentor and tutor for at-risk middle-school children in Los Angeles.
"This young lady -- and millions like her -- grew up in the classrooms of America and pledged allegiance to that flag. It's the only flag they've ever known. They can only sing one national anthem -- the anthem of the nation that's closest to their heart -- the United States of America. But now there is an effort underway by some members of Congress to deport Mithi and send her back to the Philippines," Durbin said. "They say that despite all that she's done, despite all the talents that she brings to our country, despite her promise to enter into the medical profession and serve in a cause that is so important -- autism research -- they say "leave America.'"
"It's hard to imagine that so many on the other side of the aisle have lost sight of who we are as a nation. We are a nation of immigrants and that immigrant spirit has made us different in this world we live in."
Source