Political Quotes

“11 years ago I introduced the DREAM Act to allow a select group of immigrant students with great potential to contribute more fully to America. The DREAM Act said that in order to qualify, they had to earn their way to a legal status and they had to have come to the United States as children, be long-term U.S. residents, have good moral character, graduate from high school, and agree to serve in our military or at least complete 2 years of college. These young people literally came to the United States as infants and children. They grew up in this country. They went to school with our kids. They are the valedictorians, the athletes, and even the ROTC leaders in schools across America. They did not make the decision to come here; they were just kids. Their parents made the decision. As Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said, immigrants who were brought here illegally as children ``lacked the intent to violate the law.'' It is not the American way anyway to punish children for the wrongdoing of their parents. I am going to continue to work on this DREAM Act. It has been 11 years. I will work on it as long as I have to to get it done; it is that important. But the young people who are eligible, who would be eligible for it, cannot wait any longer. Many have already been deported to countries they never remembered and with languages they do not speak. There are still some at the risk of deportation.…”