Sen. Coons on McCain-Coons: “That’s the kind of balanced and bipartisan solution that I’m hoping is successful here this week.”

Sen. Coons on Dreamers: “They deserve a chance to be a part of the American Dream.”

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) met with a group of Dreamers to listen to their concerns and to discuss the upcoming debate on immigration this week.

“As young people who have lived their whole lives in the United States, who were brought here as children by their parents, they deserve a chance to be a part of the American Dream, and, I’m looking forward this week on the floor of the Senate to try move forward my bipartisan bill with Senator John McCain of Arizona,” said Senator Coons.  “It’s based on a nearly identical bill out of the House that Congressman Hurd and Congressman Aguilar introduced that has 54 cosponsors—equal numbers of Republicans and Democrats. It deals with border security, it deals with strengthening our border, and it deals with a pathway to citizenship for the Dreamers. That’s the kind of balanced and bipartisan solution that I’m hoping is successful here this week.”

Full audio and video available here.

Senator Coons’ remarks are below:

“Hi, I’m U.S. Senator Chris Coons from Delaware, and I’m thrilled to be with a group of Dreamers who’ve come to visit me today. They go to school in Dover, Delaware, at Delaware State University, and at Christian Brothers College in Memphis, Tennessee, and they’re part of a much bigger group of Dreamers that have dedicated months of their lives to coming here to Washington, to meeting with Senators and House members, with Committee staff and individual staff, to help us hear their concerns.

“As young people who have lived their whole lives in the United States, who were brought here as children by their parents, they deserve a chance to be a part of the American Dream, and, I’m looking forward this week on the floor of the Senate to try and to move forward my bipartisan bill with Senator John McCain of Arizona. It’s based on a nearly identical bill out of the House that Congressman Hurd and Congressman Aguilar introduced that has 54 cosponsors—equal numbers of Republicans and Democrats. It deals with border security, it deals with strengthening our border, and it deals with a pathway to citizenship for the Dreamers. That’s the kind of balanced and bipartisan solution that I’m hoping is successful here this week. 

“I want to thank these great young people for sharing with me their experience, their vision, and their hopes. Let’s get this done this week, folks. Thank you.”

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