They have lived nearly their entire lives in America. They are part of
the very fabric of our country. The decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or
DACA, is a cruel betrayal of their trust in the United States. It
needlessly and stupidly robs us of the enormous talents, hard work, and
ingenuity of these 800,000 young people. Ending DACA is a lose-lose
proposition for America and for us all. President Trump vowed to show great heart in his decision and
declared that DREAMers could rest easy. That is a lie, and that is a
betrayal. And shame on the Republican leadership of this House that has avoided
making DACA a permanent program for nearly 7 years. Shame on the
Republican Party for voting against the DREAM Act in 2010, even though
it ultimately passed the House. Shame on the Republicans in the Senate for blocking cloture in 2010,
when it was clear that there were plenty of votes to pass the DREAM Act
then. Shame on the Republican leadership of this House for not making
DACA a permanent law when President Obama first initiated the program
in 2012. Shame on the House Republican leadership for failing to take up the
Senate-passed comprehensive immigration bill for the past 4 years,
which included DACA and a pathway to permanent residency and
citizenship for the DREAMers and so many other immigrants caught in
legal limbo in our country. Shame on the Republican leadership for being such political cowards
that they have failed time and time again to actually demonstrate
leadership and resolve these problems.
800,000 young people, who are totally American in every way that
matters, put their trust in the United States Government and in us here
in this Congress, not just to protect them, but to be proud of them. They have been cruelly betrayed. The memo issued yesterday by the Department of Homeland Security even
says that they should be prepared to pack their bags and be deported to
their countries of origin. But, Mr. Speaker, the simple truth is,
America is their home.
Keywords matched
immigration immigrants deported DACA