Cory Booker: “I want to thank all my colleagues who have spoken today. I really want to thank Senator Durbin, who has been a friend…”

“I want to thank all my colleagues who have spoken today. I really want to thank Senator Durbin, who has been a friend and a mentor of mine since I came to the Senate almost exactly 4 years ago. I thank him for his leadership right now--really leading us on both sides of the aisle, as a central focal point for the Dreamers-- and for his words. I thank him for his leadership today and throughout this effort, making sure we don't leave for the holidays, leaving thousands of children in our country who know no other country--young adults--in a purgatory where they are anxiously waiting to see if this body will act. This is a time where we have seen incredible activism. I cannot tell you how many times I have been stopped by Dreamers who drove for over 24 hours--drove across this country to come to the Capitol to make their case known. They love this country. They serve this country. They only know this country. They were here before they could even speak. They and their fellow American allies have been struggling and toiling and fighting for recognition. It reminds me of generations of Americans in the past who were fighting and toiling and struggling for recognition as citizens when citizenship was denied them. I know stories from my own family, African Americans, who, literally, like many of these Dreamers--900 of these Dreamers--have served in the military.…”