Adriano Espaillat: “I thank the gentlewoman from New York for yielding. Mr. Speaker, there are 2,400 DACA recipients in my district. ``We…”

“I thank the gentlewoman from New York for yielding. Mr. Speaker, there are 2,400 DACA recipients in my district. ``We are not one,'' ``no somos uno.'' There are 30,000 DACA recipients in my home State of New York. ``We are not 100,'' ``no somos cien.'' There are 800,000 DACA recipients in the country. As of this year, there were more than 10,000 noncitizens serving in the U.S. military and an additional 12,000 noncitizens under Reserve status. ``We are millions, count us well,'' ``somos millones, cuentanos bien.'' DREAMers are veterans, teachers, nurses, college students; and DREAMers are also MacArthur genius fellows. Cristina Jimenez is a MacArthur genius fellow, a powerhouse championship for immigrant youth, and, like me, she is also a CUNY alum and she grew up undocumented. This is why I urge my colleagues to bring a clean Dream Act to the House floor. H.R. 3440, the Dream Act, would not provide automatic amnesty, as I have heard some of my colleagues incorrectly say. The Dream Act has an 8-year conditional basis of permanent residency status. You have to either work for 3 years, serve in the Armed Forces, or study. You have to keep a clean record, get a background check, and a medical exam. Then, and only after then, for a few more years, you can apply for citizenship. Mr.…”