WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, Senators Richard Durbin (IL), Harry Reid (NV), and Robert Menendez (NJ) re-introduced the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act.  Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke released the following statement:

“I am extremely grateful to Senators Richard Durbin, Harry Reid, and Robert Menendez for re-introducing the DREAM Act.  We must continue to fight on behalf of those students who were brought to this country illegally as children, with no choice of their own.  For many of them this is the only society they know. They have assimilated into our society through our school system and have adopted our flag and its principles as their own. However, because they are here illegally, they face deportation to a country they don’t remember or have never known, and separation from their family and the country they call home. 

“This legislation provides a viable solution for these immigrant students, whose lives are jeopardized by our broken immigration system.  No one has been more affected by the aggressive deportation processes that have taken place within the past 10 years than the children of immigrants, both documented and undocumented.  As a representative of the 11th Congressional District of New York, I have witnessed firsthand the detrimental effects that the deportation of students has had on the individual, the family and the greater community. 

“Many communities across this nation have nurtured these young people as our own, investing in their academic and social futures.  Therefore, it is time for us to fully integrate the beneficiaries of the DREAM Act to utilize their talents and expertise and enhance this country’s state of greatness.

“I call on my colleagues to bring this important piece of legislation to the floor in both chambers and pass it through Congress.  There is no doubt that the passage of this bill would be a significant step forward in addressing true and holistic Comprehensive Immigration Reform.  Let us never forget that when we turn our back on those who come to these shores to become Americans to help build our great nation and to embrace the American Dream, we are turning our backs on ourselves.”

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