Pete Aguilar: “Today is not a good day for our Nation. Today, 800,000 young people across this country are living in fear. They fear…”

“Today is not a good day for our Nation. Today, 800,000 young people across this country are living in fear. They fear being ripped apart from the only home they have ever known. They fear being separated from their families, from their friends, and from the lives they have built here. They fear deportation, Mr. Speaker, and they live with this fear because President Trump has decided that the Federal Government is going to break its promise and turn its back on DREAMers. These are young men and women who did not break the law--they were brought to this country as children--who went to school here, who work here, and who pay taxes here. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program brought these young people out of the shadows and offered them some relief. It gave kids who grew up here and who truly believe that America is their home a chance to lead normal lives and chase their dreams. The fact of the matter is, though, Mr. Speaker, that DACA did not go quite far enough. DREAMers are American by every measure except for their paperwork, and it is time that we offer them a path to citizenship. That is why I am here today to call upon my colleagues to bring the Dream Act back to the floor for a vote--no policy riders, no packages, just a straight up-or-down vote.…”