Bill Nelson: “I am looking forward to this debate. As Senator Hatch has indicated, it is going to be a robust debate, and it could…”

“I am looking forward to this debate. As Senator Hatch has indicated, it is going to be a robust debate, and it could produce the best of what the Senate can produce: a bipartisan agreement, which it will have to be in order to get to 60 votes. I am glad to come here to the floor to support the Dreamers. Six months ago, the President said he was eliminating protections for Dreamers, and some of them have already lost that status. These young people, of course, were brought here sometimes as infants, they grew up here, and they only know America as their country. We owe it to them to enact permanent protection and a path to citizenship. It is long past time for Congress to act and to make sure this becomes law. This week presents a very good opportunity to do that after we have been waiting for almost two decades. This Senator is a sponsor of the Dream Act, and I have supported Senator Durbin in his efforts ever since I came to the Senate. Now, this is the third term. I have always been inspired by the story of Elisha Dawkins. I found out about him because I read a news clip that he was in jail. Here was a fellow who grew up in America, only knowing that he was American because he was brought to America from the Bahamas at age 6 months. He served two tours in Iraq. He came back and joined the Navy Reserves. He had a top secret clearance. His Reserve duty was in Guantanamo, with that top secret clearance.…”