Rep Zoe Lofgren Statement on DREAMers, Immigration Reform

Reps. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Immigration and Border Security Subcommittee, delivered the following statement during a hearing entitled "Addressing the Immigration Status of Illegal Immigrants Brought to the United States as Children":

"Today's hearing examines a critically important issue in our broken immigration system: the treatment of undocumented young people who were brought to the United States as children. These are kids who have grown up in this country, have attended American high schools, and who often know no other country as home.

"This subcommittee last held a hearing about these "Dreamers" in 2007, when three young women testified about their lives. One of the witnesses, Tam Tran, grew up in California, graduated from Santiago High School in Garden Grove, California and from UCLA with a bachelor's degree in American Literature and Culture‹with honors. Tam was in the Ph.D. program in American Civilization at Brown University and was continuing to serve as a leading voice in support of the DREAM Act when she and a close friend‹another Dreamer‹died in a car crash on May 15, 2010.

"I wanted to recognize Tam as we begin this hearing because I am mindful of what Martin Luther King, Jr. referred to as the "fierce urgency of now." Right now we have an historic opportunity to fix our broken immigration system, and it would be a national shame if we were unable to do that. One part of that fix‹an important and compelling part of that fix‹is to ensure that Dreamers have an opportunity to become just as American on paper as they already are in their hearts.

"I believe there is strong bipartisan support for that principle, and I am encouraged by some of what I have heard on this issue from Republican Members‹including those in leadership‹over the past few months. In some ways this is not new; the DREAM Act was first introduced as bipartisan legislation in 2001 and has had bipartisan support ever since. But the breadth of support in Congress is promising, and I am extremely pleased that this breadth of support will be reflected by the witnesses who will be testifying today.

"But as encouraged as I am by the focus of our hearing today, I must also say that I have concerns about some of what I have read in the press leading up to this hearing. I understand that Majority Leader Cantor and Chairman Goodlatte are working on a legislative proposal that is rumored to be called the "Kids Act." Their desire to become champions for this issue is a positive development and is in many ways a testament to the hard work that Dreamers themselves have done to build a coalition by telling their stories and advocating for change.

"But like the immigration bills that this Committee marked up in June, we have not seen the language of the Kids Act and we have not been asked to contribute to that effort. While I am looking forward to reviewing the Kids Act when its authors are prepared to share it, I note that this is a sharp departure from the history of DREAM Act legislation that has always been drafted and introduced with bipartisan support.

"I am even more concerned about reports that some Republican Members may be working on legislation that would allow undocumented immigrants other than Dreamers to obtain some temporary lawful status but without a specific path to permanent residency.

"I want to be clear: I recognize that this represents significant progress and I welcome that. I believe it shows a growing appreciation that we cannot fix our broken immigration system without addressing the 11 million undocumented immigrants who are part of our businesses, our communities, and our families.

"But I believe it would be a grave mistake to allow millions of people to come out of the shadows and obtain lawful immigration status, only to leave them in a second-class status for the rest of their lives. As I said at the Committee's very first hearing in this Congress, partial legalization is a dangerous path. We need only look at France and Germany to see how unwise it is to create a permanent underclass. What makes America special is that people come here, assimilate, and become fully American‹with all of the rights and responsibilities that citizenship bestows.

"The American people agree. In a recent Gallup poll, Americans were asked the following question: "Would you favor or oppose each of the following as part of legislation to address the issue of illegal immigration?" They were then provided various components of a top-to-bottom reform of our immigration laws: mandatory E-Verify, tightened border security, increased visas for skilled workers, and "allowing illegal immigrants to become citizens." In the context of a broader fix to our broken immigration system, 88% said they favored a path to earned citizenship for the undocumented. Support was overwhelmingly strong across all ideological and ethnic groups: among conservative, non-Hispanic white respondents, 83% favored a path to citizenship and only 17% opposed.

"We have an opportunity now to do something that will help strengthen America's economy. We have an opportunity to keep families together. And for everyone who believes in the rule of law‹and I think that all of us on the Judiciary Committee believe firmly in the rule of law‹we have an opportunity to design an immigration system that promotes law-abiding behavior, instead of our current one that actually depends upon law-breaking.

"This opportunity does not come often. I feel as though my entire time in Congress‹all 18+ years‹has been spent looking for an opening to fix our broken immigration system once and for all. This is that time. The Senate passed a bipartisan immigration reform bill and I am doing everything I can to make sure the House is able to do the same. If we work together I think we can make that happen and I think the country will be better as a result."

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Click here for video from today's hearing.