Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, the DREAM Act is one of the most important pieces of legislation that I have ever discussed on the floor of the House. It means everything to hundreds of thousands of de facto Americans. To them and to all of us, it is supremely important and supremely urgent. We have a choice between forcing a brain drain from our country or retaining the best and brightest to contribute to our country and make it stronger and more prosperous. The young people covered under this bill are the children any parent would be proud of--our sons and daughters, our neighbors, our classmates, prom kings and queens, football players, and cheerleaders-- who stayed in school, played by the rules, graduated, worked hard, and stayed out of trouble. They are the children of our great Nation. We, too, should be proud--not proud of the broken and dysfunctional immigration system and lack of enforcement that put them in this situation, not proud of their parents' violations of our immigration laws, no matter how out of touch with reality those laws may be, not proud of the indignities, discrimination and fear that these young people have faced at every turn--but of how these young Americans have overcome adversity and have demonstrated American exceptionalism, their pluck, ingenuity, ambition, drive, and creativity in pursuit of, as our Declaration of Independence puts it, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”