Immigration can be a controversial topic. We all want safe, secure
borders and a dynamic economy, and people of goodwill can have
legitimate disagreements about how to fix our immigration system so
that everybody plays by the rules.
But that’s not what the action that the White House took today is
about. This is about young people who grew up in America – kids who
study in our schools, young adults who are starting careers, patriots
who pledge allegiance to our flag. These Dreamers are Americans in
their hearts, in their minds, in every single way but one: on paper.
They were brought to this country by their parents, sometimes even as
infants. They may not know a country besides ours. They may not even
know a language besides English. They often have no idea they’re
undocumented until they apply for a job, or college, or a driver’s
license.
Over the years, politicians of both parties have worked together to
write legislation that would have told these young people – our young
people – that if your parents brought you here as a child, if you’ve
been here a certain number of years, and if you’re willing to go to
college or serve in our military, then you’ll get a chance to stay and
earn your citizenship. And for years while I was President, I asked
Congress to send me such a bill.
That bill never came. And because it made no sense to expel talented,
driven, patriotic young people from the only country they know solely
because of the actions of their parents, my administration acted to
lift the shadow of deportation from these young people, so that they
could continue to contribute to our communities and our country. We
did so based on the well-established legal principle of prosecutorial
discretion, deployed by Democratic and Republican presidents alike,
because our immigration enforcement agencies have limited resources,
and it makes sense to focus those resources on those who come
illegally to this country to do us harm. Deportations of criminals
went up. Some 800,000 young people stepped forward, met rigorous
requirements, and went through background checks. And America grew
stronger as a result.
But today, that shadow has been cast over some of our best and
brightest young people once again. To target these young people is
wrong – because they have done nothing wrong. It is self-defeating –
because they want to start new businesses, staff our labs, serve in
our military, and otherwise contribute to the country we love. And it
is cruel. What if our kid’s science teacher, or our friendly neighbor
turns out to be a Dreamer? Where are we supposed to send her? To a
country she doesn’t know or remember, with a language she may not even
speak? Let’s be clear: the action taken today isn’t required legally.
It’s a political decision, and a moral question. Whatever concerns or
complaints Americans may have about immigration in general, we
shouldn’t threaten the future of this group of young people who are
here through no fault of their own, who pose no threat, who are not
taking away anything from the rest of us. They are that pitcher on our
kid’s softball team, that first responder who helps out his community
after a disaster, that cadet in ROTC who wants nothing more than to
wear the uniform of the country that gave him a chance. Kicking them
out won’t lower the unemployment rate, or lighten anyone’s taxes, or
raise anybody’s wages.
It is precisely because this action is contrary to our spirit, and to
common sense, that business leaders, faith leaders, economists, and
Americans of all political stripes called on the administration not to
do what it did today. And now that the White House has shifted its
responsibility for these young people to Congress, it’s up to Members
of Congress to protect these young people and our future. I’m
heartened by those who’ve suggested that they should. And I join my
voice with the majority of Americans who hope they step up and do it
with a sense of moral urgency that matches the urgency these young
people feel.
Ultimately, this is about basic decency. This is about whether we are
a people who kick hopeful young strivers out of America, or whether we
treat them the way we’d want our own kids to be treated. It’s about
who we are as a people – and who we want to be. What makes us American
is not a question of what we look like, or where our names come from,
or the way we pray. What makes us American is our fidelity to a set of
ideals – that all of us are created equal; that all of us deserve the
chance to make of our lives what we will; that all of us share an
obligation to stand up, speak out, and secure our most cherished
values for the next generation. That’s how America has traveled this
far. That’s how, if we keep at it, we will ultimately reach that more
perfect union.
