Jeff Bingaman: “I rise today to speak in strong support of the DREAM Act. The DREAM Act provides individuals who were brought to the…”

“I rise today to speak in strong support of the DREAM Act. The DREAM Act provides individuals who were brought to the United States as young children, at the age of 15 or younger, with the opportunity to legalize their status if they work hard, stay out of trouble, graduate high school, and eventually go to college or enlist in the Armed Forces. Passage of the DREAM Act is the right course of action for a variety of economic and humanitarian reasons. But it also makes sense in terms of strengthening our military's ability to attract talented recruits. For almost a decade now our Nation's military forces have been deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. We rely on the courage, commitment, and dedication of an all volunteer force to fill the ranks of the military services. With the stress and hardship of repeated deployments and wartime service, the military has often struggled to maintain appropriate recruitment levels and standards. According to the Department of Defense, enacting the DREAM Act would help address this issue.”