Statement by the President on the House Voting to Approve the DREAM Act
I congratulate the House of Representatives, Speaker Pelosi, Congressman Berman, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and other congressional leaders for taking the historic step of passing the DREAM Act today with a bipartisan vote. This vote is not only the right thing to do for a group of talented young people who seek to serve a country they know as their own by continuing their education or serving in the military, but it is the right thing for the United States of America. We are enriched by their talents and the success of their efforts will contribute to our nation’s success and security. And as the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office found, the DREAM Act would cut the deficit by $2.2 billion over the next 10 years. I strongly urge the U.S. Senate to also pass the DREAM Act so that I can sign it into law as soon as possible.
This vote is a vitally important step to doing what the American people expect their policymakers to do: work together to address the nation’s most pressing problems. The DREAM Act corrects one of the most egregious flaws of a badly broken immigration system. A flaw that forces children who have grown up in America, who speak English, who have excelled in our communities as academics, athletes, or volunteers to put their lives and talent on hold at a great cost to themselves and our nation.
I also congratulate the House for moving past the tired sound bites and false debates that have pushed immigration rhetoric into the extremes for far too long. The DREAM Act is not amnesty; it’s about accountability, and about tapping into a pool of talent we’ve already invested in. The DREAM Act is a piece of a larger debate that is needed to restore responsibility and accountability to our broken immigration system broadly. My administration will continue to do everything we can to move forward on immigration reform; today’s House vote is an important step in this vital effort.
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If we have been investing in illegal immigrants, they should pay back what has been invested in them and fulfill all requirements of citizenship and get in line with all others who obeyed the law and sought citizenship through existing law. They are taking away jobs from children who were born here, whose grandparents were born here, and who are already having a hard time finding a job. The borders should be closed to immigrants until we have a job surplus. I have been out of work for 7 years, not counting 8 weeks of work in the U.S. Census. Now I am disabled from the stress of not working. Please pass a law like China to limit the number of children born into the world.