On the recordJune 13, 2024
I rise today because this Saturday marks the 12th anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy, or DACA, as many know it. This policy has given hope to so many hard-working individuals who call America home. It has allowed children of immigrants who were brought here as kids to flourish, strengthen our economy, and remain in the only country they have ever really known. These are our children. When President Obama created DACA in 2012, it was a temporary solution focused on helping young people thrive. And with the establishment of DACA, we told them that if they stayed in school, they worked hard, and they contributed, we would help them stay here. That was a real promise that gave so much hope to thousands of amazing young people. Now, it has been 12 years, and DACA recipients have done what they promised to do. They have gone to college. They have become part of our workforce. They pay billions of dollars in taxes. And listen to this: 49 percent of the initial group of DACA recipients in 2012 are college educated. As of 2023, there are over 544,000 recipients in the United States. And 10,730 of them live in my home State of Nevada. But Dreamers aren't percentages and figures. They are people. I have had the honor of meeting many of them, and, let me tell you, these Nevadans make our State stronger. They are teachers. They are doctors, engineers, small business owners, and community leaders. And they have families.…





