Joaquin Castro: “I thank Representative Lofgren for yielding. Mr. Speaker, the most powerful movements in American history, those that…”

“I thank Representative Lofgren for yielding. Mr. Speaker, the most powerful movements in American history, those that have made the most change in our country, have often been started by young people. More than a dozen years ago, many young Dreamers took to the streets of cities like Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago, New York, and so many other places throughout our country asking that they be recognized fully as Americans. Many of these are folks who were brought here when they were 6 months old, 5 years old, or 3 years old and have only known the United States as their home country. Today, the House of Representatives recognizes their Americanness and takes a step forward to move them out of the legal limbo in which they have found themselves and, unfortunately, in which they have lived their lives. These are folks who are servicemembers, they are teenagers, they are engineers, and they are workers in the fields. They are people who are producing for our country, who are making this Nation strong. They are people who we can be proud of. They are, like us, Americans. And today, most of all, we give them something to celebrate as we acknowledge their Americanness. Mr. Speaker, I thank Speaker Pelosi for her hard work. This is the second time, under her tenure as Speaker, that a Dream Act has passed. I thank Lucille Roybal-Allard, Pramila Jayapal, and everybody on the Judiciary Committee who has also done the hard work of shepherding this bill through. Mr.…”