I get to smile at them and say: They are already here. They just
happen to have grown up in this country already, but they have no home
and would love to call this one their home. I would like to give them the opportunity to earn the ability to be
naturalized--not automatic, to earn it--and go through the process, to
get in line like every other person around the world, to get in line
but not have to return to their home country because they don't know a
home country, but get in line here to do it. There is a way to be able to do this. The President has been the
first advocate for that. There is a way to be able to actually answer
the problems we have dealt with for 20 years on border security so we
don't continue to have another DACA Program in 5 years, in 10 years,
and over and over again as we are right now. Let's solve it. Interestingly enough, in 2012, when President Obama announced the
DACA Program, he made some pretty blunt, clear statements during that
time period. One of them was, for individuals--this was in June of
2012--who are already here, he set a date. He said: For those
individuals, our Nation wants to provide an opportunity to not be
arrested, and we will work on your status, but for any future
individuals who cross our border, you will not have access to this
program. That is President Obama who made that statement in 2012. While I have
heard individuals say we should abide by the words of our Presidents,
when President Obama made those statements to those kids in 2012, I
would remind us as a nation, we should honor all of those statements,
if we do any of those statements, including President Obama's
statements saying that this will end, and people who are crossing our
border will be returned to their home country. As he announced publicly, there is a right way to be able to do
immigration. Let's do it the right way. We already receive 1 million a
year. Let's do it the right way, and you will find a very welcoming
United States of America. That is where I think we can go, and I hope in the days ahead we can
finish out a negotiation and be able to resolve some basic things--not
everything in immigration but at least the core issues of immigration
and border security so we can resolve the issue not only for the kids
in DACA but continue to be able to work on how we are securing our
Nation for the future. With that, I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
Keywords matched
immigration naturalized border security DACA