S3406 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE May 26, 2011 [He] sat alongside President Barack Obama all of Ouattara’s people. These are the The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. on Friday and declared that Israel would not ones our State Department supported, BEGICH). The Senator from Illinois. withdraw to the 1967 borders to help make and it is serious. Amnesty reports that Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, first, I way for an adjacent Palestinian state. a manhunt was launched against thank my colleague from Oklahoma. Obama had called on Israel to be willing to do just that thing a day earlier. Gbagbo loyalists in Abidjan, and sev- He and I share a passion and interest in Prime Minister Netanyahu said his Nation eral senior officials close to him were the continent of Africa. He has trav- could not negotiate with a newly constituted beaten in the hours after his arrest. eled there many more times than I Palestinian unity government that includes This is a picture of the Secretary of have. We have talked about the situa- the radical Hamas movement, which refuses the Interior. We had a hearing the tion on that continent. I give special to recognize Israel’s right to exist. other day, and our State Department accolades to him for continuing to And its commitment to Israel’s de- tried to say Ouattara is hiring a lot of raise questions relative to that con- struction. the people from the Cabinet of Laurent tinent and the people who live there. It Those are the seven reasons I believe Gbagbo. There is the Secretary of the is an important part of the world, and the land belongs to Israel. We need to Interior. They shot him in the face so for far too long it has been exploited. respect that, and we need to declare: it would take a long time to painfully I am glad, on a bipartisan basis, we God bless Israel. die. He died. both believe the United States should f Here is another member of the Cabi- focus more attention on that impor- net being executed. This is what is tant continent. I thank the Senator. COTE D’IVOIRE going on. Nobody cares. Anyway, I f Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, I know I care. have a couple more. I would like to What we are looking at right now is DREAM ACT cover one last topic because something the Ouattaras publicly. Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, it was 10 is about to happen in the next week. There is a way out of this right now. years ago I was contacted in my Chi- Some people are going to be killed. It What has happened is Ouattara is try- cago office by a mom, a Korean Amer- has nothing to do with Israel; nothing ing to figure out a way to kill the ican. She had a problem. She had come to do with the subject here. It is very President and the First Lady. I will to this country from Brazil with her serious. wind up by letting you know and see- young daughter. The family was origi- You might recall six different times ing firsthand what we are talking nally from Korea, but they came to the on the floor of the Senate I have talked about. country from Brazil. Her daughter about the problems that are taking President Gbagbo is someone I have came at the age of 2 and grew up in place in a country in West Africa called known quite well. He is a jovial guy. Chicago. She was a bright girl with a Cote d’Ivoire. The fact is we had a This is a picture as I remember him. I lot of talent and particularly turned President—his name is Laurent spent a lot of time with him. This is out to be a musical prodigy. By the Gbagbo—with his wife Simone. They right after his arrest. He was beaten al- time she was ready to graduate from were ruling when an election came most to death. We see what has hap- high school, she had offers to go to the along. It was stolen from him by a man pened to his face. best music schools—the Manhattan named Alassane Ouattara. He is in the His wife is a beautiful lady, Simone School of Music, the Julliard School of northern part of Cote d’Ivoire. Gbagbo. I have been with her many Music. What I have tried to show—I ex- times. She is a beautiful lady. She is As she filled out her application plained well before this all happened, the First Lady. I first knew her 15 forms, there was a little blank that before we got involved, that France years ago when she was a member of said ‘‘citizenship.’’ She turned to her and the United Nations and now our Parliament before they were married. mom and said: What am I supposed to State Department are joining in with There she is. You will not find a more put here? Her mom said: I don’t know. them. This picture was in yesterday’s beautiful lady than that. There she is, We never filed any papers. You were paper. This is one of Ouattara’s death after they ravaged their home— brought in here at the age of 2. We bet- squads that are killing people in Ouattara and the United Nations in ter do something. Abidjan, which is the capital. agreement with our State Department. Her daughter said: What are we going I show this picture. It is one that This is what she looked like the next to do? shows this is still happening today. Re- day. They went in and grabbed her by Her mom said: We are going to call prisal attacks are still being com- the hair and pulled her hair out. You Senator DURBIN. mitted by forces loyal to Alassane can see other things happened to her. They called my office hoping to come Ouattara of Ivory Coast 6 weeks after I hesitate to put up the last photo, up with a solution. Unfortunately, I he came to power vowing peace and but this one you have to put your could not. The law is very clear. She reconciliation. imagination to work. It takes a lot of not only would have been deported It also said that Alassane Quattara, imagination to see what is happening. from America, she would have been de- championed by the French and the There she is, the beautiful First Lady. ported back to Brazil, a place where United Nations during a deadly post- You can imagine what happened with the little girl had never lived or a lan- election conflict, has failed to condemn all of Ouattara’s people around here. guage she never mastered. She was sup- atrocities against real or perceived What is the answer? All we have to posed to wait there for 10 years and try supporters of ousted President Laurent do is encourage the State Department to get back in the United States. Gbagbo. to take a different stand and say: Let’s It struck me that was unfair. That is Those are the death squads of take the Gbagbos—the President and when I introduced the DREAM Act. Ouattara. This is a picture of them. the First Lady—and allow them to The idea behind the DREAM Act is to You can identify them. They are in have asylum. I already located a coun- give young children who are now in there killing people. We don’t know try in Sub-Saharan Africa willing to young adulthood a chance to become how many tens of thousands of people host them. That is all that needs to legal in America. I introduced the bill have been murdered in cold blood. Am- happen. 10 years ago and called it up several nesty International came out the other By the time we get back 9 days from times on the Senate floor in the last 10 day and criticized the U.N. mission for now after this recess, both of them will years. I think on every occasion we had ignoring pleas for help and failing to be dead if we do not do something. As a majority vote. The last time we had prevent the massacre in the town of we speak right now, they are being tor- 55 votes of 100 in the Senate, but the Duekoue. That is the town of Duekoue. tured. filibuster rule requires 60. It fell short See the charred bodies. People are say- There we have it. We have an oppor- of passing. ing they actually had hogs eating the tunity to do something. We can save What the bill says is very basic. The bodies. This is what Ouattara did in a not only these people but save those DREAM Act would give students a little town called Duekoue. around them who have always loved chance to become legal if they came to I have another picture of what is hap- peace in Cote d’Ivoire. the United States as children; they are pening. It is really criminal. These are I yield the floor. long-term residents of the United

VerDate Mar 15 2010 01:00 Feb 24, 2012 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00040 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\RECORD11\RECFILES\S26MY1.REC S26MY1 bjneal on DSK2TWX8P1PROD with CONG-REC-ONLINE May 26, 2011 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S3407 States; they have good moral char- dreamers. This is Juan Gomez. This school in Warren, MI. She is the val- acter; they graduate from high school; handsome young man was brought to edictorian of her class. She has taken and they complete at least 2 years of the United States from Colombia in every advanced placement class offered college or military service in good 1990 at the age of 2. He is an academic by her school. She has a 4.4 grade point standing. It is not too much to ask to all-star at Killian Senior High School average—a very bright young lady. Ola give these young people a chance. in Miami, FL. He earned close to 2 is on the varsity cross-country and ten- Two weeks ago, I reintroduced the years of college credit with high scores nis teams, she is treasurer of the stu- DREAM Act with 33 of my colleagues. on 13 advanced placement exams. He dent council and treasurer of the Na- I am going to do everything I can to scored 1410 out of 1600 on the SAT, and tional Honor Society at her school. She pass the legislation this year or next he finished in the top 20 percent of his tutors students who are learning year. This is a matter of simple justice. class. His economics teacher nick- English. Ola was also a member of her There is not another situation in named him ‘‘President Gomez’’ and homecoming court. This is a great pic- America where we hold children ac- said he is one of the best students ever ture of her. Here she is at her high countable for the wrongdoing of their to graduate from Killian High School. school at homecoming. parents except in this case. It is just In 2007, during his senior year in high She sent me a letter. She has been not fair. These children did not have a school, he was placed in deportation accepted into the honors program at vote or a voice in coming to America. proceedings. What happened next is an the University of Michigan, where she They were brought here, and they did amazing story. will be a pre-med student. Here is what the right thing once they came. Scot Elfenbein was the student body her letter said: They went to school. They did well. President at Juan’s high school. He I aspire to ultimately becoming a surgical They got up every morning and pledged was also Juan’s best friend. He thought oncologist, but more importantly, I intend allegiance to the only flag they knew. it was basically unfair that this young to work for patients who cannot afford the They sang the National Anthem—the man would be rooted out of school and astronomical fees accompanying lifesaving only one they knew. They believed surgeries, patients that are denied the med- tossed back into a country he never re- ical treatment they deserve. My goal is not they were really Americans, but a rude membered. Scott started a Facebook to increase my bank account; my goal is to awakening came when they came to page devoted to stopping Juan’s depor- decrease preventable deaths. I wish to re- learn they were not. I guess they might tation. Here is what he wrote on the main in this country to make a difference. have been viewed more as people with- Facebook page: Do we need her? You bet we do. out a country. We need your help in saving Juan from Two months ago, Ola was placed in What will the passage of the DREAM being sent to Colombia—a country he doesn’t deportation proceedings. Just like Act bring us other than justice? It will even remember. For those of you who know Juan Gomez and many other DREAM bring us some of the most talented peo- Juan, he is the smartest and most dedicated Act students, Ola’s friends decided to kid you ever met. He deserves more than to ple in America who want to make this rally behind her. Senator LEVIN, a co- just be deported. Many of us owe him. I know a better nation. These are young people sponsor of the DREAM Act, asked the who really worked hard. Their parents he helped everyone one way or another in school. It’s the least we can do for him. Department of Homeland Security to were immigrants to this country and reconsider her case. This week, the De- most of the time had to take very dif- Thanks to Scott’s initiative, 2,000 people joined Juan’s Facebook page. partment granted a stay of deportation ficult jobs and work extra hard so the to give her a chance to continue her kids could finish school. Many of these Then Juan’s friends came here on Cap- itol Hill to lobby for him. They per- education. That was the right thing to young people turned out to be excellent do. It makes no sense to send someone students—valedictorians of their class- suaded Representative Lincoln Diaz- Balart and Senator Chris Dodd to in- like Ola, who has so much to con- es and stars in many other respects. tribute to America, to a country she Now some of them just want a chance troduce a bill to stop his deportation. Representative Diaz-Balart is a Repub- barely remembers. to serve in our military. That says a I introduced the DREAM Act in 2001. lican, but he is also one of the lead lot about them too, that they are will- Since then, I have met so many of sponsors of the DREAM Act in the ing to risk their lives for America. these young immigrant students who House. My good friend and former Sen- Is there any question about their pa- are qualified for the DREAM Act. Like ator Chris Dodd is, of course, a Demo- triotism or their love of this country Juan Gomez and Ola Kaso, they are crat. So it is obvious this isn’t a par- or they want to finish college so they Americans in their hearts. They are tisan issue. Republicans and Democrats can use their skills and education to willing to serve our country and to die should basically come together and improve their lives and make this a for it if we would only give them a agree that to punish this young man better nation. chance. Simple justice and fairness re- because his parents came here illegally We have the support of the Defense quires it. Secretary, Robert Gates, for the is fundamentally unfair. I ask my colleagues to support the DREAM Act, GEN Colin Powell—a man After his deportation was stayed, DREAM Act. It is the right thing to do. I respect very much—Rupert Murdoch, Juan was admitted to Georgetown Uni- It will make America a stronger and a very conservative Republican busi- versity on a full scholarship. He is better nation. One thing I am sure of is nessman supports it, and CEOs of com- going to graduate from Georgetown in that if we give these young dreamers a panies such as Microsoft and Pfizer. May. And thanks to Congressman Diaz- chance, they won’t let us down. Every day I hear from another one of Balart, he has a temporary work per- Mr. President, I yield the floor. these dreamers. They come up to me mit and has been offered a job at a top The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- sometimes very quietly and sometimes financial services firm in New York ator from Minnesota. City. Can we use a person with his very publicly and tell me their stories. f Just the other day a young man came skill? Of course we can. Every year we up to me as I was leaving a speech here import thousands of foreigners on H–1B HUBERT HUMPHREY CENTENNIAL in Washington, and he said: Senator, I visas. Do you know why? Because we Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President, I just want to let you know I am fin- say we need these bright minds in would first like to thank the Senator ishing law school. I cannot be licensed America. Well, if we need bright minds from Oklahoma, Mr. COBURN, for allow- in America because I am not an Amer- in America, why are we exporting ing me to take a few minutes to speak ican citizen. I will pursue my education those who were raised here and who about something very important in my until you pass the DREAM Act. can bring their skills and talents to a State—the fact that tomorrow would I thought about it. This poor young better life for themselves and our Na- be Hubert Humphrey’s 100th birthday. man deserves a chance to use his edu- tion? Hubert Humphrey was our ‘‘Happy cation not just to continue it. That Let me introduce another person to Warrior’’ in Minnesota. He was the son gives me more of an incentive to work you. Her name is Ola Kaso. She was of a smalltown South Dakota drugstore on this issue. brought to the United States by her owner who lifted himself up through Let me tell a story tonight in the few mother from Albania in 1998 when she hard work and determination to be- minutes I have about two of these was 5 years old. Ola is a senior in high come the mayor of Minneapolis, a U.S.

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