On the recordFebruary 2, 2015
of all things, the Department of Homeland Security, created to protect America from terrorism, is a Department that is underfunded by Republican design. The Republicans refuse to give the regular budget appropriation to the Department of Homeland Security to protest President Obama's Executive order on immigration. The House of Representatives went so far as to add five riders-- conditions--to the budget for the Department of Homeland Security and send them here. They have said they will not fund this Department unless we join them in what has become an extremely negative and, I believe, hate-filled attack on people across America. Saturday we had a rally in Chicago, and at that rally was Secretary Jeh Johnson of the Department of Homeland Security. Joining us were Congressman Luis Gutierrez of Chicago, the mayor of Chicago, and literally hundreds of people, many of them DREAMers--young people who are now, because of President Obama's Executive order, allowed to go to school and work in America. Remember, these were children--toddlers, infants--brought to America by their families, who are undocumented through no fault of their own. They have lived in America, they have been educated in America, they have pledged allegiance to our flag in their classrooms, and they have no future because we have not changed the immigration law to give them a chance. But President Obama has given them a chance.…
