John W. Olver: “This coming spring, tens of thousands of young people will graduate from high school, many of them at the very top of…”

“This coming spring, tens of thousands of young people will graduate from high school, many of them at the very top of their class, only to discover that they have no hope of pursuing their goals because they were brought here illegally. The DREAM Act will allow these young people the opportunity to pursue a pathway to citizenship while contributing to our country through higher education or military service, young people like Marissa, an honors student from my district. Marissa was brought here as a young child from Uruguay and grew up considering herself as American as her classmates. Her English is as good as yours and mine. She excelled in school. Her dream was going to college and becoming a physician, but that dream was crushed when her parents sat her down and told her that her family is in the United States illegally. America deserves to have the best and brightest young people like Marissa studying in our universities and defending our Nation. And these students deserve the chance to earn citizenship in the country that is the only homeland they know. It is the moral thing to do, and it's the fair thing to do. I urge my colleagues to support the DREAM Act.”