Folks are among the very best that america has to offer. They are people who often time from a very young age as children arrived in this country, have only known the United States as their home, some who only speak the english language, all who have felt the fear of living in limbo for many years, who felt the joy in 2012 of being able to come out of the shadows when president obama put daca into effect. And now again feel the fear of deportation looming. We are here today to speak the truth about who these people are. And i want to say thank you to the Daca Recipients that are here today. It was amazing to be out on the Supreme Court steps and see people from every walk of life, not just the dreamers and their family members or the immigration advocates who have been doing such great work for many years, but also out in strong force members of the American Business community who came out to speak the truth about how valuable our dreamers are to this country. It earlier this year the house of representatives passed a dream act, a dream and d. P. S. Act, h. R. 6. T. P. S. Act, h. R. 6. The fact is all of us are anxious to see what the Supreme Court says, but in the house of representatives and underer speaker pelosi, we are also not waiting for the Supreme Court. We have taken action. We have passed a bill that would put dreamers on a path to citizenship where they belong. As americans with all of us. Unfortunately, right now, its buried in the desk of Mitch Mcconnell and we are asking the Senate Majority leader to take action. To do right by these folks. And to do whats best for the country. With that its my honor to introduce somebody that i had an opportunity to serve with for several years and was a member of congress for several years but is has now gone on to another wonderful role in Public Service as the attorney general of california, thats my friend, Javier Becerra. [applause] mr. Becerra mr. Chairman, i am not only pleased but proud to stand with you, the hispanic caucus, with the Senate Democratic leadership and House Democratic leadership to speak about americans and american values. When california initiated its lawsuit along with many individual dreamers and joined by some 20 other states and the district of columbia, it was to defend the people that are standing with us here today. It was to defend the values that have made it possible for those dreamers to feel american and to know they are american. What we heard today in court was that you got to do it the right way. There is the right way to do things and there is the wrong way to do things. The dreamers that are standing here did exactly what they were asked to do by the federal government. Roved that they have a dows basis to be in this country and now they have proven themselves as doctors, lawyers, as teachers, as Successful College students, as people who in america we would perceive to be our friends, our family, and perhaps our first responder. And so they did it the right way. The folks that did it the wrong way were the Trump Administration. They tried to eliminate the daca program illegally. And now they are being testified tested in court. Every court so far that has tested this question has found on behalf of the dreamers. We believe the Supreme Court will as well. Because the dreamers did it the right way, the Obama Administration did it the right way. Congress is trying to do it permanently the right way. If only the Senate Republicans would join. If we do it the right way, these folks who are american that we call dreamers will have a chance to shine and prove their full worth. We will continue this fight until the very end whether its through congress or through the courts, but we understand that when you do it the right way, you should not be punished. Now i believe senator durbin of the Senate Democratic leadership will speak next. Let me hand the mike over to whip durbin. Senator Javier Becerra and you carry on with california with real leadership on this issue since you left the u. S. House. Thank you for coming back home today to be with us on this historic day. Look behind me. The president says you are looking at very tough and hardened criminals. Take a good look at these criminals, would you . Thats what the president tweeted this morning about these young men and women. He said that they were not no longer young and angels. None of us are that young any more i can tell you that, and i dont know who among us would claim to be an angel. This much we know about these men and women, young men and women standing behind me. You are looking at some of the most determined and courageous people in the United States of america. They have lived their entire lives under the shadow of an immigration status which has raised a question every time someone knocked on the door. They have been counseled and warned by their parents not to say the wrong thing, not to do the wrong thing or their entire family could play the price. That is the price that they have paid to be here today. And at one moment in history under president obama we said we are going to give you a chance. You have to come forward, go through a criminal background check, pay a substantial fee. And well give you your chance to stay in the United States on a temporary basis for two years, renewable every two years. We wont deport you and well let you take a job. And what did they do . 790,000 of them trusted this government and stepped forward and signed up. Many of their parents warned them, dont put your name on that list with the government. It could come back to hurt our families. But they had the courage and the belief that what their government told them was the truth. They came forward and signed up. 90 of them are working today. Over half of them are in school today. They are teachers and engineers and members of our military. They are our dream of the future. This battle for the dreamers in my life, my political life, began 19 years ago when i introduced the dream act. 19 years ago. Its been a long time to make that trip over to the supreme ourt this morning. There is hardly even a chapter written in the civil history of the United States that hasnt taken a long time. When you are fighting for justice you have to be determined and patient. The president tells us when it comes to immigrants its fear. Its hate. You look behind me at these Daca Recipients, dont see that at all. See courage and i see hope. I see the future of the United States of america. Today we heard the arguments in the Supreme Court. Its my prayer that theyll come down our way for the good of those who stand behind me and so many others. But its also my prayer that it comes down our way for the good of the United States of america. Whats at stake here is not just their fate. Whats at stake there is our values as americans. Immigrants from all over the world who came to this country and said we can make this a bert place and thank goodness our parents and grandparents believed that and let us led us to this moment. Now we have to move forward. We know what we face. Bob menendez, you know what our problem is in the senate. We have a good bill, an excellent bill passed by the u. S. House of representatives. Its sitting on the calendar in the United States senate. Senator menendez and i will be making unanimous consent request this week to bring this measure to the floor. [applause] senator durbin i can tell you i can tell you its an uphill battle, but we want the other party to go on record. When the president said lets legislate an issue, lets legislate an agreement we are going to call him at his word. We are going to ask senator mcconnell to bring this matter to the floor of the senate this week. I want to thank congresswoman roybalallard for being here today. She and i have been working together on this for some time. As chair of the house hispanic caucus and as real leader on this issue it is my honor to turn over the microphone to you, lucille. Ms. Roybalallard thank you so much, senator. The senator is correct. The young people that are back here, this is who we are fighting for. They are not people that the president is trying to portray as murderers and rapists. Yet two years ago the Trump Administration crewly tried cruelly tried to rip protections away from nearly 800,000 dreamers by abruptly terminating the daca program. The president s chilling message to immigrant communities across america left dreamers in a state of uncertainty and fear of being taken away from their family and removed from the only country they call as home. The fact is, we all know that, we have heard this and we have seen it, that the dreamers are american in every way except on paper. They grew up pledging allegiance to our flag and to our country. They are our neighbors, our childrens teachers, our nurses, our scientists, Small Business owners, friends, and colleagues. Dreamers serve in our armed forces in defense of our country. They pay taxes and they enhance our society with their talents and the richness of their culture. This country is their home. Today the highest court in our land heard their case against trumps unlawful termination of daca and its xenophobic administration. It is my hope that the Supreme Court recognizes the personal injustice of trumps administrations actions and rules in favor of Daca Recipients. It is also my hope that the court will not ignore the fact that the stories and hopes and dreams of Daca Recipients are those of all dreamers in our nation. Hopefully the court will rule to protect Daca Recipients, but as has been said, Congress Must go further. We must expand protections to all dreamers who deserve an opportunity to become citizens of the only country they know as home. In june of this year, dreamers were given new hope when the house passed my and congresswoman nita velazquez andie vet clarkes bill, h. R. 6, the dream and promise act of 2019, which protects dreamers and t. P. S. And d. E. D. Recipients as well. While it is our hope the Supreme Court will not be complicit in the Trump Administrations antiimmigrant agenda, we must continue to be motivated and active in calling on Mitch Mcconnell and the senate to pass the dream and promise act. Because only then will our nations dreamers be able to live without fear and continue to contribute to the country they love because home is here. And now it is my pleasure to turn over the microphone to senator menendez, who has also been an incredible supporter for many, many years of our dreamers. Senator menendez thank you, congresswoman. As i was sitting in the Supreme Court today listening the arguments, it reminded me of a meeting that the Congressional Hispanic Caucus had with then president obama. And at that meeting i prepared a memorandum, legal memorandum on behalf of the caucus to present to president obama to you have the power to actually create what we now know as daca. And after a lot of work with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus members and other colleagues, we ultimately got president obama to agree and create the daca program. I listened to the arguments in the court today and in my mind the court should clearly decide in favor of the dreamers. Why . Is this case kase reviewable . If you can get 700,000 to a Million People to rely upon what the government says, comfort forward, give us all your information, go through a criminal background check, give us the information of your families, if that reliance is not one to be sustained or reviewable, then god knows what is reviewable in our country. From my perspective, yes, it has the standard for being reviewed by the court. And then the question is, is it fair to have a process in which all of those who submitted their lives, their information, their most sacred position in this life comes forward and you snuff it out without any detail process to understand what it means and what that reliance meant and the consequences that flow not just for dreamers but for all of those who support the dreamers, those who have hired them, those universities who have given them admission, those in which they are ultimately creating a bert future for all americans Better Future for all americans . Finally, is it legal . My god, its clear to me that the president president obama or anyone else had the discretion to decide how to use the federal government in way to ensure these young people who through no fault of their own brought to this country by their parents, ultimately the only flag they have ever pledged allegiance to is that of the United States, the only National Anthem they know is the star spangled banner, the only country they have ever called home or known in america is here. Home is here in every respect of the the only difference is many of them have served in the uniform of the United States. Imagine those who have worn the uniform and risked their lives of the United States that you are not ultimately able to continue to defend the nation. You are not worthy of ultimately be given a temporary status . Thats how unconscionable in my ind, also illegal. At the end of the day i hope the court ultimately decides for us, but i agree with my colleague, senator durbin, who has been on this issue for nearly two decades. When we pass the gang of eight comprehensive Immigration Reform in the senate with over 67 votes, only to die in then the republicancontrolled house of representatives, we had the best dreamer package that ever was envisioned. Would have given all these young people their pathway to a clear future and on behalf of the United States. Unfortunately it never got a vote. I sat in the white house when President Trump says i want to treat these young people with love. Love like that we dont need. Because at the end of the day when you end the program, not the court, when you ended the program and when you started on a pathway that puts all these young people at risk, then thats not love. And when you ask us to be to take their parents and choose their parents and their loved ones over them, i havent met a dreamer yet who has told me to do that. Its just fundamentally wrong what the administration is doing. Wrong has the right and power to challenge the executive branch and say we have a different view. Lets pass the legislation. I am going to join senator durbin. See who stands for the dream and who wants to snuff it out. I hope we get i know we have virtually every democrat will stand with us in support of the dream and hopefully some enlightened republicans. Then let the president decide. Does he want to snuff out the dream or does he really love the dreamers . With that im pleased to introduce the assistant speaker, ben ray lujan. Lujan veryone. President said he was going to treat our brothers and sisters, he dreamers, with heart. The cruelness that we continue to see coming from this administration, the hateful rhetoric and policies come interesting Steven Miller, they are not american. It lacks the moral compass of what america was founded on, this dream, this idea we could come from all over the world and contribute to this special place. Building opportunity, looking after our families and loved ones, and opening of doors for future generations behind us. Thats what dreamers represent. They represent the highest of the american ideal that we cherish every day. So why is it that Steven Miller and President Trump continue with this hateful rant . Its not heart, mr. President. Its hatefulness. [speaking spanish] why dont you have a heart . But there is an opportunity. There is an opportunity now for the Supreme Court to do the right thing. To uphold whats happened with the lower courts. The courts have all done the right thing. They stood by the American People. By wait, what the president is up to this morning with those ugly tweets, hes trying to diminish public support for these amazing men and women behind me. Moms and dads, brothers and sisters, frens and neighbors, coworkers friends and neighbors, coworkers, lets do the right thing. Lets pray for the Supreme Court. Lets pray for the country. Lets pray for these dreamers. But what we need for the American People to do is something we learned from congressman john lewis. Make some noise. Speak up. Show up. Stand up. If you dont know a dreamer, just open your eyes. Get to know them. Tell their story. I want to close with this. I had the honor of meeting sam today, a dreamer from new mexico, a recent graduate from new mexico state university, who talked about how he cant go see his grandma, his mom who live just miles away from where he lives in the