On the recordSeptember 5, 2017
Mr. Speaker, from its earliest days, the Trump administration has embraced disastrous immigration policies. First was the unconstitutional Muslim ban rooted in fear rather than fact. Then came the obsession with an ineffective and expensive border wall. But today we have reached a new low. In our justice system, people are held responsible for their actions. With the announcement of the end of DACA, we are throwing aside this principle. Instead, we are punishing youth who, through the actions of their parents, happen to be in the country without authorization. The average DACA recipient was barely 6 when she came to the U.S., yet the administration today has said that she should be deported to a land that she has never called home. DACA recipients--the students, workers, and servicemembers in Rhode Island and around the Nation--are our friends. They are our neighbors. We cannot and we must not abandon them. ____________________





