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DACA
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, in June, our Nation celebrates National Immigrant Heritage Month. It is a reminder that, with the exception of Native Americans and the descendants of enslaved people, every one of us shares something in common with the families arriving in America today, and that is the fact that our own ancestors once traveled far and wide to reach this land of liberty and opportunity. In my case, it was my grandmother. The year was 1911. She was forced to flee her home in Lithuania. She boarded a ship in Germany, bound for America, carrying two things in her arms: her Catholic prayer book and my infant mother. She arrived in our country with the same hopes as every immigrant who comes to America--from the immigrant business owners in my State of Illinois and communities like Little Village to all of the immigrant farm workers who keep food on our tables.
And today, the month of June is not only a chance to celebrate America's heritage as a nation of immigrants, it should also serve as a call to action for us in Congress. That is because today, June 15th, marks the 11th anniversary of a life-changing program for a group of young people who share my mother's story--the Deferred Action For Childhood Arrival Program, DACA.
Back in 2010, on a bipartisan basis, the late Republican Senator Richard Lugar and I asked President Obama to use his power as President to protect from deportation hundreds of thousands of young people, many of whom arrived in our country as infants and toddlers, like my mom. And 11 years ago today, President Obama responded. He announced that he would use his executive authority to create the DACA Program.
These young people are known generally as Dreamers. They have grown up alongside our kids and grandkids. They pledge allegiance, as you said so many times, to the same American flag, and many have gone on to serve our Nation as members of the United States Armed Forces, first responders, and much more. In fact, over the years, Dreamers have become a household name. They have touched the hearts of Americans because in them, we see ourselves, our own history, our own families.
Dreamers have earned their place in the American story. But right now, they are still waiting on this Congress to finish the job that President Obama started with DACA.
This program was always intended to be a temporary solution. The permanent solution is obvious: Enact legislation--bipartisan legislation--that was introduced more than two decades ago--the DREAM Act. It would provide a path to citizenship for Dreamers all across America. Without the protections of the DREAM Act, these young people have been forced to live a life of uncertainty. They have to renew their status every 2 years, which means they can only plan their lives in two-year installments.
Today I want to tell you the story about one Dreamer. Her name is Sumbul Siddiqui. Her story is the 136th Dreamer story that I have shared on the Senate floor. Sumbul's family moved to the State of Georgia from Pakistan when she was 4 years old. With most of her relatives out of the country, she relied on her neighbors in Georgia as her chosen family. Growing up, she was a star student with no shortage of passions. She spent hours in the library getting lost in books, learned to play the viola, and fell in love with the arts. In her mind, she was just like any other kid, until she started applying to college and discovered officially, legally, she was not an American citizen.
So even though Sumbul graduated from high school with the highest honors, she feared that her immigration status would prevent her from pursuing a college education. Fortunately, it did not.
Instead, Sumbul was awarded a private merit scholarship to attend Agnes Scott College in Atlanta, GA. During her first year, she was accepted into the DACA Program. She worked four jobs to cover the cost of tuition and graduated still a semester early with honors. She even found time to volunteer at a free health clinic. And it was in this role, working alongside doctors in her community, that she found her professional calling: medicine. So she decided to apply to a medical school that had supported Dreamers since the beginning of DACA. I am proud to say it is the Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago.
You see, back in 2012, the Stritch School of Medicine made a brave commitment. They became the first medical school in America to adjust its admission policy to welcome Dreamers. And in the years since, nearly 40 Dreamers have graduated from this program at that medical school.
Last month, Dr. Sumbul Siddiqui became one of those graduates. I had the honor of speaking at her commencement ceremony before she and her fellow graduating class, which included five other DACA recipients, walked across the stage to receive their medical degrees. With her medical degree, Dr. Siddiqui plans to dedicate her career to serving families in the Chicagoland area. Soon, she will begin her residency at the University of Chicago, where she will focus on supporting underserved communities.
Ask yourself a basic question: Would America be better off if Dr. Siddiqui and Dreamers like her were unable to work here in the United States, when our communities are in desperate need of doctors and nurses? Of course not.
Earlier this year, I reintroduced the Dream Act with my friend, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham. We have been on the cusp of passing the DREAM Act for years, but time and again, Congress has failed to finish the job.
Right now, this legislation is more important than ever. That is because one judge in Texas--who has repeatedly ruled against DACA--
could soon end protections for nearly 600,000 Dreamers. That would be a disaster--not just for Dreamers, but for our entire country. It is time for Congress to step up and meet our responsibility to Dreamers once and for all--as well as our responsibility for America's future--on a bipartisan basis.
I think that time is already here, and I hope we will meet our obligation that is long overdue to solve this problem, not just for this wonderful young woman and the ambition she has shown to make a better life for herself, but for the future world.
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. THUNE. Mr. President I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 169, No. 105
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