That is why, since 2001, I have been a supporter
of the Dream Act. Tonight, I cannot believe this is the message from
this President. In a remarkable act of courage and trust, 17,500 young DACA
recipients are working and contributing to the economy in my State, the
State of Washington. These recipients must submit
biographical information and biometric information, and allow State
Department, Homeland Security, and other Federal agencies to complete
background checks. They have never committed a felony, and they must
have a job, be in school, or have served in the military. So ending
this program is literally taking workers out of our State, taking the
gross domestic product of over $1 billion that it will cost our Nation
over the next several years. The President's decision to end DACA runs counter to the longstanding
and proud history in our State of welcoming immigrants. Dreamers invest
in their communities. They pay State and local taxes. In fact, the
Chamber of Commerce supports this program as does a majority of
Americans, and over 300 business leaders agree that Dreamers help us
build a better and more prosperous America. Just today, one of the key
Microsoft executives--one of our key companies--said he would rather
have legislation to protect these individuals in immigration reform
than to have tax reform. That is how important it is to our State. I am glad my colleagues Senators Durbin and Graham held a bipartisan
press conference to talk about supporting this important legislation to
move forward.
Keywords matched
immigration immigrants DACA