Political Quotes

“I come to the floor out of great concern for America's Dreamers, whose futures hinge on the ability of this body to keep its word and get something done. I want to be clear whom we are talking about when we talk about Dreamers. We aren't talking about criminals. We aren't talking about terrorists. We aren't talking about ``bad hombres.'' We are talking about kids as American as apple pie. As I often say, the only country they call home is the United States. The only flag they pledge allegiance to is that of the American flag. The only national anthem they know how to sing is the ``Star-Spangled Banner.'' We are talking about 800,000 young people who were brought to this country as children and were able to obtain legal protection under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program, known as DACA. These kids put enormous faith in our government. They came out of the shadows, they passed background checks, and they registered with our government--all to get a 2-year renewable work permit and protection from deportation. Even the Cato Institute, which is a conservative think tank, says that deporting Dreamers--91 percent of whom are gainfully employed-- would hurt America's economy. At the same time, we are also talking about thousands of additional Dreamers who were eligible for DACA but didn't apply. Some couldn't afford the cost and others were still working through the lengthy application process.…”