I wrote to President Obama, with Senator Dick Lugar, Republican of
Indiana, and said: Find some way, if you can, as President, to protect
these young DREAMers, as we call them. And he did. It is called DACA,
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. What it basically said is that if you qualify under the DREAM Act,
you could pay a filing fee of almost $500, go through a criminal
background check and interview, and, then, if you qualify, you will be
given a 2-year temporary protection from deportation and the ability to
work. So far, over 750,000 young people have come forward. They have
made such a difference in their own lives, in the lives of their
families, and even in our country. I have come over 100 times to tell their stories, and I will tell
another one today. But I want to also announce that today we have a
significant bipartisan breakthrough for this Congress: Republican
Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and I have introduced the
BRIDGE Act. The BRIDGE Act, which has bipartisan sponsorship, would say
that even if we eliminated President Obama's Executive order, we would
protect these young people from deportation and allow them to continue
to work and study. I want to thank Senator Graham. He has been a terrific partner.
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DACA deportation