Graham, Durbin Press Conference on DACA, Dream Act

[00:00:17] [Music] [00:00:30] [Music] [00:01:05] distinguished ones [00:02:02] [Music] [00:02:13] [Music] [00:03:58] [Music] [00:04:01] you can't get a week ahead of time but [00:04:03] if you know what's a hurricane you go oh [00:04:05] there's another like you know [00:04:08] [Music] [00:04:37] you bought a car [00:05:46] can we do [00:05:52] [Music] [00:06:40] [Music] [00:07:00] [Music] [00:07:38] [Music] [00:08:37] [Music] [00:08:58] [Music] [00:09:25] [Music] [00:09:36] [Music] [00:10:04] yeah [00:10:21] yeah [00:10:23] [Music] [00:10:28] you have routers 50 thank you [00:10:59] good afternoon I'm honored to be here [00:11:02] with my colleague Lindsey Graham I want [00:11:04] to personally thank him it's great to do [00:11:05] business with Lindsey he and I have [00:11:07] worked on a number of issues together on [00:11:08] a bipartisan basis and this is one of [00:11:11] our most important priorities now it was [00:11:14] 16 years ago when I introduced the DREAM [00:11:17] Act 16 years ago when the notion that [00:11:21] these young people who were brought to [00:11:23] the United States as toddlers and [00:11:25] infants and children deserved an [00:11:27] opportunity to make their way in America [00:11:30] and prove themselves and that that law [00:11:33] was going to give them a chance in 16 [00:11:34] years that we've been working on this [00:11:36] project it was about 6 or 7 years ago [00:11:41] when I wrote to President Obama who had [00:11:45] been my colleague in the Senate to [00:11:46] co-sponsor the DREAM Act and asked him [00:11:48] to use his power as president to help [00:11:50] these young people and he eventually [00:11:52] issued daca the program that gave young [00:11:56] people across America who were [00:11:58] undocumented a chance to come forward to [00:12:01] give all their personal information to [00:12:03] the government to submit themselves to a [00:12:05] criminal background check to pay a [00:12:07] substantial filing fee and if they were [00:12:09] approved to have a two-year opportunity [00:12:12] to stay in the United States without [00:12:13] deportation and with an opportunity to [00:12:16] work that was with daca is all about [00:12:19] 780,000 young people took advantage of [00:12:22] that opportunity created by President [00:12:25] Obama senator Graham and I agree on many [00:12:27] things we disagree on daca I think it [00:12:30] was a proper exercise of President [00:12:33] Obama's Authority he sees it differently [00:12:35] but even though we come to that issue [00:12:38] with a difference of opinion we are in [00:12:40] agreement as to where we are today it is [00:12:43] time for us in Congress to do the right [00:12:45] thing for America the right thing for [00:12:48] these young people and their families [00:12:49] and to pass the DREAM Act to make it the [00:12:53] law of the land and to do it now the [00:12:56] decision that was announced today by the [00:12:58] Trump White House was a disappointment [00:13:00] to me the first and only direct [00:13:03] conversation which I've had with [00:13:04] President Trump was [00:13:05] day of his inauguration and I thanked [00:13:07] him for the kind words he said about [00:13:09] dreamers and daca he looked me in the [00:13:11] eye and he said don't worry about those [00:13:14] kids we're gonna take care of those [00:13:15] dreamers I trusted that the president [00:13:18] would do that and I hope to work with [00:13:20] him we had many meetings in the White [00:13:22] House with people on his staff talking [00:13:24] about how we might achieve that goal of [00:13:27] making certain that the dreamers would [00:13:28] have their day and their opportunity [00:13:30] well today this announcement that was [00:13:32] handed down first by attorney general [00:13:34] sessions and then by the president tells [00:13:37] us that the clock is ticking we are now [00:13:40] in a countdown toward deportation for [00:13:44] 780,000 protected by daca [00:13:46] today for those young men and women [00:13:48] across America I can tell you this is a [00:13:50] moment of great concern great fear and [00:13:53] great anxiety about what's going to [00:13:56] happen to their lives they include [00:13:59] teachers and engineers medical students [00:14:02] at loyola School of Medicine in the city [00:14:04] of Chicago who are uncertain now about [00:14:06] their future [00:14:07] well what's what Senator Graham and I [00:14:10] want Philibert is the message today is [00:14:12] that we need to do our job right here in [00:14:15] the United States Senate we need to pass [00:14:17] in this month of September a DREAM Act a [00:14:20] permanent law in this country that says [00:14:22] that these young people will have their [00:14:24] chance to become part of America's [00:14:26] future the DREAM Act is not a new idea [00:14:29] introduced years ago gone through the [00:14:31] Judiciary Committee was part of our [00:14:33] comprehensive immigration reform and the [00:14:35] day that we included it I can remember [00:14:37] we met and had one of the shortest [00:14:38] meetings of our bipartisan group we said [00:14:41] fine everybody's for the dream like [00:14:42] let's move to the next tough tough topic [00:14:44] when it comes to immigration so we have [00:14:47] included this as our main item in the [00:14:50] agenda for the month of September we [00:14:52] want to make certain that Senate and the [00:14:54] house vote on the permanent enactment of [00:14:58] the DREAM Act as the law of the land my [00:15:00] last message before I turn it over to my [00:15:02] colleague is this and it's to the [00:15:04] dreamers we've stood together through [00:15:06] thick and thin for almost 16 years now [00:15:09] we've had moments when we passed this [00:15:12] measure in the Senate moments when we [00:15:14] passed in the house but never both [00:15:17] chambers at the same [00:15:18] this is our chance to do it do not give [00:15:21] up hope [00:15:22] if you are one of those dreamers one of [00:15:24] those protected by Daka [00:15:26] you need to be part of America in its [00:15:28] future we made a promise to you that if [00:15:31] you gave this information to our [00:15:33] government about you and your family it [00:15:35] wouldn't be used against you I don't [00:15:36] want that to ever happen [00:15:38] so let's stand together let's take heart [00:15:40] and stand together and make sure that we [00:15:42] do the right thing for the dreamers this [00:15:44] month of September Senator Graham well [00:15:47] thank you to the DREAM Act population [00:15:51] there are a lot of people in the [00:15:53] Republican side of the aisle understand [00:15:55] your dilemma and we want to find a fair [00:15:57] solution because you you have done [00:15:59] nothing wrong you came here as children [00:16:01] you've contributed to society you have [00:16:04] passed criminal background checks you've [00:16:07] demonstrated your ability to be [00:16:09] beneficial to the country now in the [00:16:12] future the only thing that stands [00:16:14] between you and certainty in your life [00:16:16] is to Congress that cannot be that [00:16:18] reassuring so here's the deal [00:16:20] the Congress is going to have to up this [00:16:23] game as to the president I think he was [00:16:25] right to terminate daca I believe from [00:16:29] day one it was an unconstitutional [00:16:31] overreach by President Obama [00:16:34] he had a dilemma on his hand understand [00:16:36] what I did wrote the letter I've tried [00:16:38] to do my part to find comprehensive [00:16:40] immigration reform not only for the [00:16:42] DREAM Act kids but also for their [00:16:43] parents but the main thing I've tried to [00:16:45] do is make sure that 20 years from now [00:16:47] we don't have 11 million more illegal [00:16:48] immigrants fix it once and for all so [00:16:51] here's what I think happened I think the [00:16:53] president did the country is serviced by [00:16:55] going back to constitutional order in a [00:16:58] way that allows a six-month opportunity [00:17:01] for the Congress to take care of these [00:17:03] kids so the president was right on the [00:17:05] law but he was also right to give us six [00:17:09] months to figure out a solution to this [00:17:11] and my challenge to the president is [00:17:13] that you've talked very glowingly about [00:17:15] these kids help us help us in the house [00:17:18] help us in the Senate I think you and [00:17:20] you're a good man get involved [00:17:22] personally work the phones try to find a [00:17:25] consensus here here's what I think is [00:17:27] going to happen there are going to be [00:17:29] elements of the Republican Party who [00:17:31] believe that if you [00:17:32] past the DREAM Act you're rewarding [00:17:34] future illegal immigration you're [00:17:36] incentivizing illegal immigration in the [00:17:38] future my reply to them would be you [00:17:41] would be right if we just stopped with a [00:17:42] DREAM Act but we're going to do more 70 [00:17:45] percent of Americans want to secure our [00:17:47] border control who comes to the country [00:17:49] and create order out of chaos 70 percent [00:17:52] of Americans at least want to give these [00:17:54] kids a second chance in a good life in [00:17:56] our country when you tell them to go [00:17:59] home they'll go back to the house they [00:18:01] were raised in they have no other [00:18:02] country other than America they're no [00:18:05] more connected to their home country [00:18:06] than I am to Scotland where my [00:18:08] grandfather came from so the reality of [00:18:10] the of the situation is that these [00:18:13] children basically have no place to go [00:18:15] other than America and here's the good [00:18:18] news for America you should want them to [00:18:20] stay they're great kids they're working [00:18:22] they're productive [00:18:23] this is a win-win if there was ever a [00:18:25] win-win in modern times it would be the [00:18:28] DREAM Act because the Congress gives [00:18:31] legal status not an overreaching [00:18:33] executive order you may like the [00:18:35] executive order for DREAM Act kids but [00:18:38] where does it end what is the limitation [00:18:40] on power of a president to give 900,000 [00:18:43] a million people status just by a stroke [00:18:45] of a pen so if you're a constitutional [00:18:47] conservative passing the DREAM Act [00:18:49] should please you because the Congress [00:18:51] is doing its job with the president [00:18:53] signing a bill passed by the Congress if [00:18:55] you worry about these kids you should [00:18:57] vote for the DREAM Act because it gives [00:18:58] them what they I think deserve a new [00:19:01] life in their home country to those in [00:19:05] the Republican Party who vote no I [00:19:08] respect it I respect your decision but [00:19:11] let's have a healthy debate make the [00:19:13] case that these kids don't belong here [00:19:15] because I'm going to make the case they [00:19:17] do and we're all going to vote so from a [00:19:21] Republican Party point of view this is a [00:19:22] defining moment we need to create a step [00:19:27] a process forward to fix a broken [00:19:28] immigration system starting with the [00:19:31] DREAM Act kids I think is a good down [00:19:33] payment on what will eventually be a [00:19:36] comprehensive solution to a broken [00:19:39] immigration system to the president you [00:19:41] have a chance to show the nation as the [00:19:44] president of all of us where your hearts [00:19:46] you have a chance as the leader of the [00:19:48] Republican Party to do two things say [00:19:51] that we are the party of a [00:19:53] constitutional process that we believe [00:19:56] in doing it right but right means taking [00:19:59] care of these kids I think I just said [00:20:17] that I think that one this is a real [00:20:20] time problem the kids will be thrown [00:20:22] back into the darkness [00:20:24] that doesn't help fix a broken [00:20:25] immigration system to be to take these [00:20:28] kids and ruin their lives and that's [00:20:30] what you'd be doing so I think most [00:20:32] Republicans believe that you have to [00:20:36] have a secure border or you'll get 11 [00:20:38] million more in the future most [00:20:39] Democrats won't border security - we [00:20:42] practically militarized the border in [00:20:44] the gang of eight bill most Republicans [00:20:46] want to control who gets a job in the [00:20:48] future with the e-verify system what [00:20:50] about the parents of these kids well [00:20:52] here's the here's the dilemma we we're [00:20:54] going to deal with the DREAM Act kids [00:20:56] first [00:20:56] but to get to the parents you're going [00:20:59] to have to have a comprehensive solution [00:21:01] in place [00:21:02] I don't think Republicans are going to [00:21:05] legalize the 11 million and hope one day [00:21:07] to secure the border increase legal [00:21:10] immigration will come from the Democrats [00:21:11] and I bet you Democrats are not gonna [00:21:14] give us all the legal immigration [00:21:15] increases we want the border security we [00:21:18] desire without having some idea what [00:21:20] happens 11 million so John McCain said [00:21:23] he was against this idea because he [00:21:25] wants to go back to comprehensive [00:21:27] immigration reform I have walked the [00:21:29] walk when it comes to voting for a [00:21:31] conference and their comprehensive [00:21:32] immigration reform but we don't have [00:21:34] that luxury right now as Dick said we've [00:21:37] got six months so I'm with Dick Durbin [00:21:40] on by the end of September we need to [00:21:42] take care of the dreamers and work on [00:21:44] the other parts of the problem I [00:21:45] promised my Republican colleagues that I [00:21:48] will not stop with the DREAM Act because [00:21:50] that does incentivize future illegal [00:21:52] immigration I am committed to fixing [00:21:54] this problem once and for all let me say [00:21:58] a word about the sixth [00:21:59] calculation of six months is to March [00:22:01] fifth so we have plenty of time right [00:22:03] not by Senate standards we don't and [00:22:05] those of you who have lived around here [00:22:07] for any period of time know what I'm [00:22:08] about to say who knows what next month's [00:22:11] topic du jour is going to be is it going [00:22:13] to be Kim Jung on is it going to be Erma [00:22:15] Harvey what's going to be let's move and [00:22:18] do it now that's why we think it's [00:22:20] important to make the DREAM Act the law [00:22:21] of the land [00:22:22] now some people look at the donut and [00:22:35] just see the hole in this circumstance [00:22:37] if you look at the history of this this [00:22:39] measure has passed the house it has [00:22:40] passed the Senate it never did it as [00:22:43] required by the Constitution at the same [00:22:44] time now we have a compelling reason a [00:22:47] timely reason Daka is about to expire we [00:22:50] need to act on this or we know the [00:22:52] consequences or a countdown clock to [00:22:54] deportation for 780,000 the best and [00:22:58] brightest young people in our country so [00:23:00] we have a timetable and a timetable is [00:23:02] what most Americans need when it comes [00:23:04] to filing their taxes and going to the [00:23:06] dentist and a timetable is what the [00:23:08] Senate needs when we realize we have to [00:23:10] act and get it done now or terrible [00:23:11] consequences result let me just talk you [00:23:15] got the Speaker of the House who's a [00:23:16] Republican you got the majority leader [00:23:19] of the Senate who's Republican both [00:23:21] expressing a desire to take care of the [00:23:23] DREAM Act kids now what the final bill [00:23:25] looks like I don't know but I like our [00:23:27] bill a lot it got 68 votes the United [00:23:30] States Senate and bipartisan fashion you [00:23:32] also have the president United States [00:23:33] who did two things today he rejected the [00:23:37] idea of President Obama's executive [00:23:39] order as being a presidential overreach [00:23:43] I think he was right to do that but he [00:23:45] expressly gave us six months but the [00:23:48] reason I think it will get done now is [00:23:50] because the leadership of the Republican [00:23:51] Party including the president realizes [00:23:54] it's good for the country economically [00:23:57] and otherwise to give these kids the [00:23:59] certainty they need in their lives [00:24:17] well all I can say is that the process [00:24:19] of taking care of the kids will be a [00:24:22] negotiated process the comprehensive [00:24:25] gang of eight bill was negotiation there [00:24:27] are a lot of people who believe a good [00:24:29] marriage would be border security and [00:24:32] DREAM Act now I know this there's not [00:24:36] much of an appetite for 2,200 mile wall [00:24:38] that's what you mean by border secure [00:24:40] you probably don't get a lot of votes [00:24:41] but I can tell you that dick Durbin has [00:24:44] voted in the past for dramatic increases [00:24:48] of Border Patrol agents fencing where it [00:24:52] makes sense walls where it makes sense [00:24:53] drones and technology where it makes [00:24:56] sense [00:24:56] so I don't know how this movie ends but [00:24:58] here's what I'll predict we're not going [00:25:01] to allow these kids to be victim of a [00:25:04] broken political process matter of fact [00:25:06] this may be what we need in Congress to [00:25:09] get our act together real people [00:25:11] something we can put our hands around [00:25:13] and the public can understand a real [00:25:16] issue with real live people who need us [00:25:18] to act decisively we're gonna do two [00:25:20] things we're gonna take care of the [00:25:22] hurricane victims in Texas we're gonna [00:25:24] take care of these kids I'm not going to [00:25:33] get into specific negotiations on what [00:25:35] I'll accept or what I won't accept but I [00:25:37] will tell you I think the wall is a [00:25:38] non-starter in terms of the political [00:25:42] controversy but I don't disagree what [00:25:44] what Lindsey just said in order to get [00:25:46] 68 votes in the Senate I swallowed hard [00:25:48] of course 11 million people ended up [00:25:51] with an opportunity for citizenship when [00:25:53] it was all over that was part of our [00:25:54] agreement so I've been open to border [00:25:57] security issues continue to be open to [00:25:59] them the wall though is a wall too far [00:26:11] there's no evidence well number one I [00:26:23] think we're gonna do something on the [00:26:24] hurricane pretty quickly because there's [00:26:26] a need what makes me believe we'll get [00:26:28] this right as the president has [00:26:30] expressed a great concern for these kids [00:26:33] the Speaker of the House and the [00:26:35] majority leader the Senate understand [00:26:37] that there needs to be a solution to [00:26:38] this problem and I'll tell you from [00:26:40] being a Republican member of the United [00:26:42] States Senate well over half our [00:26:44] conference wants to fix this and those [00:26:48] who disagree have no animosity in their [00:26:50] heart the question is can we come [00:26:53] together the answer is we have no other [00:26:55] choice a lot of these issues are complex [00:26:58] and there's no time limit I think what [00:27:01] the president did is put us on the clock [00:27:03] because who wants to be the member of [00:27:05] Congress well if you want to be you're [00:27:06] gonna get a chance to say good luck and [00:27:10] goodbye to these kids who wants to who [00:27:12] wants to have that on your political [00:27:13] resume so I think President Trump did a [00:27:16] good thing by putting a time limit on [00:27:17] this but it's gonna require him to get [00:27:20] involved and I make a prediction if he [00:27:22] gets involved then people in the house [00:27:24] we're gonna fall in line the Senate [00:27:26] won't be your problem the problem being [00:27:28] the house take two more questions I [00:27:41] haven't sat down and thought this [00:27:44] through in terms of what the next step [00:27:46] will be but I'm hoping that Senator [00:27:48] Graham and I are at the table one [00:27:49] important thing for both of us to see [00:27:51] this done in the month of September [00:27:52] let's put it this way if I were a [00:27:54] Democrat I would won't dick durbin at [00:27:56] the table he is the father grandfather [00:28:00] and soon-to-be great-grandfather of the [00:28:02] DREAM Act [00:28:03] I am never seen a man so committed to a [00:28:08] cause as dick has been committed to [00:28:11] fixing this problem for the DREAM Act [00:28:13] kids there is no way he'll be dealt out [00:28:15] I want to be there too because I've got [00:28:18] to know a lot of them and I actually I [00:28:20] want to celebrate with Senator Durbin an [00:28:24] accomplishment for the nation which is [00:28:26] to take care of these kids [00:28:27] one more question you know I have not [00:28:39] seen senator Tillis proposal he did come [00:28:41] to see me from fairness to him months [00:28:43] ago and said he was genuinely interested [00:28:46] in doing something a good-faith basis on [00:28:49] immigration and I applauded him for that [00:28:50] but I've not seen his proposal and [00:28:53] couldn't couldn't comment on that [00:28:55] wouldn't come on that but you know we're [00:28:57] it doesn't have 60 votes there currently [00:29:00] three Republican co-sponsors of the [00:29:02] DREAM Act we think there are other votes [00:29:04] and Senator Graham can address that I [00:29:06] think we're in solid position on the [00:29:08] Democratic side so we're at a good [00:29:10] strong starting point and some of the [00:29:12] statements made senator hatch made a [00:29:14] good positive statement in the last few [00:29:16] days and that is encouraging to me he's [00:29:19] a member the Judiciary Committee and [00:29:20] it'd be great to have senator Hatch's [00:29:22] support thank you all [00:29:24] Thanks [00:29:29] [Music] [00:29:42] [Music]