Congressional Record, House, July 29, 2021 — Pathway to Citizenship Special Order
Summary
Congressional Record, House, page H4279, July 29, 2021. The page begins with remarks on forest management and wildfires, stating that the Federal Government owns 96 percent of Alpine County and referring to the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act; Mr. Westerman then thanks the gentleman and urges bipartisan work. Under Pathway to Citizenship, a speaker states that immigration reform will bring a $1.7 trillion benefit to the economy, raise annual wages for everybody by $700 and create 438,000 jobs. The speaker also describes a meeting with Somos Un Pueblo Unido.
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“Congressional Record, House, July 29, 2021 — Pathway to Citizenship Special Order.”
Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2021-07-29-crec-2021-07-29-pt1-pgh4279-1b2cfd22ba/
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July 29, 2021 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H4279
that they just didn’t have the re- are to good watersheds. Teddy Roo- essential workers, not just for each of
sources to put out the small fire when sevelt knew that. He talked about the them. We are calling for immigration
a water drop by helicopter could have importance of developing the West and reform because it is good for America.
stopped it cold. protecting the watersheds and the tim- And we must move beyond the rhet-
Yet, they had the resources to photo- ber in the upper parts of the water- oric of division. We must move beyond
graph it by helicopter, and they had sheds, because that timber acts as a fil- the rhetoric of hate. And we must
the resources to do countless airdrops ter. It acts like a sponge that holds move to the facts. And when we move
after they had allowed it to explode out water and releases it slowly so that to those facts, we know and we learn
of control. you don’t get all of it running off at that immigration reform is good for
b 1900 one time. this country.
We have these massive forest fires, I often talk about the fact that we
Now, the Federal Government owns next comes the flooding and the land- need to ignore those who would divide
96 percent of Alpine County, leaving it slides and the degradation to our us. Those who would seek to demonize
with virtually no tax base and entirely streams. We want to help species like another for political gain. Because we
dependent on tourism attracted by the the Chinook salmon. But when we are know in New Mexico, especially, we
national forest. The fire has not only washing the topsoil into the streams, know that there is no other, there is
taken people’s homes and destroyed that is not helping any kind of fish. only an us. No hay un otro, solamente
their businesses, but it has severely We let wildfires burn right down to nosotros.
damaged the forest resource that Al- the edge of the stream. If we were And when we look at some of these
pine County’s entire economy depends doing forest management, we would numbers, we recognize that. When we
on for tourism. thin the forest. We would be the gar- notice that immigration reform will
It is dangerous nonsense to monitor dener and the caretaker. We have solu- bring a $1.7 trillion benefit to our econ-
incipient fires in today’s forest tinder- tions. We have proposed legislation omy, that it will raise annual wages for
box, even if they seem to pose no im- but, unfortunately, Congress has failed everybody by $700, that it would create
mediate danger. No person in his right to act. Not only has Congress failed to 438,000 jobs for Americans, there is an
mind would monitor a rattlesnake act, but Congress has failed to be able economic reason for doing this beyond
curled up in his bedroom because it to come together and talk about these the sense of who we are, our humanity,
isn’t doing much of anything at the issues, and we need to do that. and who we are as a Nation of immi-
moment. He would kill it before it I hope that over this August recess grants.
does. my colleagues across the aisle will This issue affects every community
In our national forests, only the For- have a change of heart, so when we get in our Nation. And it is so important in
est Service can prevent small blazes back here in September, these bills will my own community that the first
from becoming forest fires, and it is come to the floor, and we will do real meeting I had after I was elected was
about time they did. bipartisan work that is good for the en- with Somos Un Pueblo Unido. We Are a
Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, vironment, that is good for the econ- United Community. Somos Un Pueblo
I thank the gentleman for his leader- omy, and that is good for America. We Unido.
ship in the past in getting bipartisan stand ready to do that. And it was wonderful to have that
legislation in place. Republicans are ready to work for meeting, because I heard directly the
I remember a couple of years ago I the good of America—for rural Amer- voices of my sisters who were undocu-
was out around South Lake Tahoe and ica, and we want to make a difference. mented. I heard their voices tell the
I saw the fruits of the efforts of Rep- We invite our friends across the aisle story of what it was like to work, tell
resentative MCCLINTOCK, working in a to join us. the story of what it was like to be ex-
bipartisan manner with many groups, Madam Speaker, I yield back the bal- posed to COVID, but they knew they
to do the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act, ance of my time. had to go back to work because they
part of what was in the bipartisan f did not have a choice. Because they did
WIIN Act. not have any other way of providing
And I felt proud as an American from PATHWAY TO CITIZENSHIP for their children.
Arkansas to be in California and seeing The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under They put themselves in harm’s way
the forest actually being managed and the Speaker’s announced policy of Jan- to care for us. They put themselves in
knowing that it was my colleague, Mr. uary 4, 2021, the gentlewoman from harm’s way to make sure that our gro-
MCCLINTOCK, that pushed for that. And New Mexico (Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ) is cery stores were stocked. They put
more of that needs to be done, enough recognized for 60 minutes as the des- themselves in harm’s way to make sure
of it is not happening. We need more ignee of the majority leader. that our elderly were cared for. They
land that gets treated like that. It GENERAL LEAVE asked me a favor, they said, Senora
looked like a park. From a forestry Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Madam Congresista, we ask that you will take
perspective, I would have maybe taken Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that our stories to Washington, D.C., that
a few more trees out, but it was way all Members have 5 legislative days to you will take our stories and use your
better than what was left around it and revise and extend their remarks and in- voice there to repeat them. And so my
it is making great progress, and that is clude extraneous material on the sub- voice right now is not mine, it is
because of solutions-based approaches ject of my Special Order. theirs.
to getting the job done and making a The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there Today, we stand in the people’s
difference out on the ground. objection to the request of the gentle- House and use our voices to share the
But we have got 80 million acres of woman from New Mexico? community stories, to highlight the
forest land in this country that is sub- There was no objection. benefits of immigration reform, and
ject to catastrophic wildfire. When you Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Madam hopefully, hopefully, to get closer to
mix that with the drought conditions Speaker, we are here today to call on making it a reality.
that we are seeing today, Madam the President, to call on the House, to There are an estimated 11 million un-
Speaker, it is a recipe for disaster. call on the Senate to pass immigration documented immigrants in the United
Mr. MCCLINTOCK talked about a light- reform. We hope to see immigration re- States, they are the Dreamers who we
ning strike that was left to burn, when form in reconciliation. have talked about. They are undocu-
it could have been put out early. We We are here to tell the stories of why mented students, children, adults, who
see massive destruction. We are seeing we must do this, of why we must do have only known this country as their
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that in eastern Oregon, and we will this not just for the immigrant com- home, they have U.S. citizen family
continue to see it. We are seeing one of munity, and not just because it is the members. As noted, they are care-
the worst wildfire seasons that we have right thing to do, and not just because givers, healthcare workers, education,
ever seen. of the stories of each of those families and small business owners.
I think Americans need to under- who put their lives on the line, who The immigrants in the United States
stand how important healthy forests study, our DACA, our Dreamers, our are a reflection of us. They do the
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H4280 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE July 29, 2021
things we do, they are doctors, they are visited a Catholic Charities shelter mass incarceration and mass deporta-
lawyers, they are students, they are that centered its work around caring tion under the hands of CBP.
children. They are American. Just as for newly arrived asylum seekers. This The differences in funding and capac-
American as any of us, and they each shelter operates on a shoestring budget ity at the Catholic Charities shelter,
deserve an opportunity to reach their and relies on FEMA to retroactively which heavily relies on donations,
fullest potential. reimburse spending for essentials like versus the CBP facility was startling
And year after year after year immi- food, a funding process that is never and disheartening. The vast majority
gration reform becomes a political certain. And most of the workers there of CBP apprehensions, Madam Speak-
football. Year after year after year 11 were volunteers from across the coun- er—over 90 percent—were determined
million people are held hostage by po- try. While their facilities lacked re- by Border Patrol to not be criminals.
litical games. sources, it was abundant with care. Over 90 percent, the Border Patrol told
You know, the Congressional Pro- I then saw inside a well-funded Cus- me. Yet the vast majority of our an-
gressive Caucus has advocated and toms and Border Protection, or CBP, nual funding to this region goes to law
fought for a pathway to citizenship for facility, where law enforcement had enforcement. We need a fundamental
undocumented immigrants for years. It put over 10 men, who had not been test- shift in our priorities to move away
is one of our priorities that we get it ed for COVID, together in one small from funding detention and militariza-
passed. It is one of our priorities that cell, sleeping on the concrete floor, tion at our border.
we address immigration reform in the even when other cells were sitting This is especially true given how past
American Families Plan, in the Amer- empty. U.S. policies, such as the U.S. occupa-
ican Jobs Plan. tion of Nicaragua in 1912 and other
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus b 1915 Latin American countries, and our his-
has been fighting this battle for dec- For context, the current year, the toric empowerment of corrupt govern-
ades—since they were formed. They funding level for CBP is more than $15 ments have contributed to instability,
have not given up. And the Congres- billion. violence, and economic oppression; all
sional Progressive Caucus has not In New York’s 16th Congressional of which force people to flee their home
given up because we know that we District which I represent, one-third of countries and seek asylum here.
must carry those voices and those my constituents are born outside of the Yes, our immigration policy is con-
voices must be all of our voices. United States. I represent thousands of nected to our foreign policy and con-
Let’s talk a little bit about what undocumented constituents, refugees, nected to our capitalism. We have sto-
happened during the pandemic. Immi- and immigrants living and working in len land and resources from foreign
grants carried us through the pan- countries and caused their political
the Bronx and Westchester who have to
demic. While we stayed home, immi- and economic systems to be disrupted
navigate our immigration system on a
grant farm workers continued to go to and taken over by violence. The guns
regular basis with fear from ICE
work in the fields, risking their lives to that get to many of these countries
agents. In our home State of New York
keep our country fed. Undocumented come from here. So we have caused this
is Ellis Island which reads:
harm and disruption, yet we won’t
essential workers in our grocery stores Give me your tired, your poor, allow those who are looking for peace
kept the shelves stocked with that food Your huddled masses yearning to breathe
to flee into our country.
that was picked by the immigrant farm free,
We also need to create a pathway to
worker. Dreamers taught our youngest, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to citizenship for all of the 11.4 million
they kept them engaged over that undocumented immigrants as part of
Zoom screen. me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door! the next reconciliation package. The
We saw how the pandemic, though, young adults whom we met with in La-
fueled the rise of anti-Asian hate The U.S. Mexico border is the new
Ellis Island, yet these newcomers—a redo, Texas, whose family members had
crimes. But what else fueled that rise been deported deserve a pathway to
of hate? Anti-immigrant, racist, darker hue than those who came to
Ellis Island with welcome arms—are citizenship.
xenophobic rhetoric from the Trump By the way, once CBP, which seemed
administration. Asian Americans, de- met with punishment, walls, and harm.
to be hunters in this situation, detain
spite those attacks that were leveled at We send our tired and our poor to pris-
someone and they need long-term de-
them, they continued serving their on-like detention centers without prop-
tention, they pass them over to the
communities, even in the face of those er medical care and little food and
ICE agents. Then the ICE agents put
racist violent attacks. produce a retraumatizing experience
them in detention, and they are so iso-
And, yet, during the first round of for those who already made a scary and
lated they can’t receive calls from fam-
stimulus checks, these immigrants, life-threatening trek across the border.
ily and friends, they can’t receive let-
who we just described, who kept us I heard stories of mothers traveling
ters, and they can’t receive visits. Fi-
going through the pandemic, they were with their 1-month-old babies across nally, when someone finds a way to
left behind. They were made to feel the river, carrying their babies on their make a connection with the detention
like they were not part of our country, heads as they waded through the center, the person who was in the de-
that they were not part of our recov- waters. Now imagine the level of des- tention center is lost, often never to be
ery, and like they were an other. peration in your home country, Madam found.
I want to talk a bit more about the Speaker, where you would risk the life The young adults whom I met with in
other immigrants. of yourself and your 1-month-old baby Laredo whose family members have
Madam Speaker, I yield to the gen- to come to this country with no guar- been deported deserve a pathway to
tleman from New York (Mr. BOWMAN), antee that you were going to be able to citizenship. The high schoolers in my
to engage in this conversation about remain here. district who fear they won’t be able to
the role that immigrants play. We need to reimagine and redesign file for DACA status and stay in our
Mr. BOWMAN. Madam Speaker, I our immigration system and the sup- country for college deserve a pathway
thank Congresswoman LEGER port we provide to our immigration to citizenship. From Laredo, Texas, to
FERNANDEZ for convening this Special neighbors. If we want to live up to the the Bronx, to Westchester, to St.
Order hour to discuss the urgent topic ideals of this country, our system must Louis, Missouri, there are millions of
of immigration reform. be rooted in care and inclusion, not people who should be able to stay in
Last week, I had the opportunity and militarization, surveillance, detention, this country and continue to help our
privilege of visiting the U.S.-Mexico and forced deportation. communities thrive.
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border to bear witness to the carceral As a Black man in America and as We have the power to provide sta-
system that undergirds our immigra- Black people in America, we have been bility and a sense of belonging to our
tion policy and practices. experiencing mass incarceration since immigrant communities this Congress,
I gained a firsthand understanding of the end of slavery. Our brothers and and we cannot wait any longer.
how our Federal policies impact the sisters coming in through the Mexico I will end with this: during the last
conditions at the border. While there, I border to the U.S. are experiencing administration there was so much fear
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July 29, 2021 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H4281
instilled in our immigrant families and to have her passion, and to have her yond anything that had been done be-
communities that one student in the advocacy. This is what makes me so fore. But we should be clear that much
Bronx thought that her mom was de- proud to be the chair of the Congres- of the cruelty has existed prior to the
ported from home, but the mom actu- sional Progressive Caucus because of Trump administration coming in going
ally ran away so she wouldn’t be de- the words, the passion, and the advo- back to the exclusionary history of im-
ported. But because the student cacy of Representative BOWMAN, of migration law in America, but then
thought that the mother was deported, Congresswoman LEGER FERNANDEZ, and also continuing through what was
the student fell into a deep depression of our 94 other members who are part called welfare reform. That was the so-
and committed suicide because she of the Progressive Caucus. The Special called immigration reform that actu-
thought her mother was taken from Order hour that we host for this Pro- ally began the criminalization of immi-
her. gressive Caucus is about the issues grants in the United States.
This is what we are dealing with that matter to the Congressional Pro- So the work that we do here in Con-
when it comes to our immigration pol- gressive Caucus. gress as Representatives of our commu-
icy. It is inhumane, and it is evil. Our Let me be very clear, progressives nities on so many levels is incredibly
immigrants make us a stronger nation, have been at the forefront of fighting important, because we get to change
not a weaker one. It is time for a 21st for comprehensive immigration reform the conversation about what the issue
century Marshall Plan to help rebuild for a very long time. Our Progressive is and what we need to do. We also get
Central and South America. But those Caucus is extremely diverse. We have to change the conversation about
who come in here should be welcomed members who are part of the Hispanic where to put the priority for legislative
with open arms as they are just seek- Caucus, part of the Asian-American fixes to the issues that we are facing.
ing peace, safety, care, and security. If Caucus, and part of the Black Caucus. We have an opportunity coming up in
we are as a nation to live up to the The reality is that we represent the the reconciliation package to do the
ideals of our democracy and our Con- diversity that is immigration today in right thing for immigrants—not just
stitution, then we must welcome them this country. for immigrants, by the way, to do the
Madam Speaker, when I think about
with open arms and with love so that right thing for America, because let’s
immigration, this is very personal to
we can build a better nation back bet- be very, very clear, America would not
me for multiple reasons. I am an immi-
ter. survive without the labor and the toil
Madam Speaker, I thank Congress- grant myself. I am one of only two
of immigrant communities. That is
woman LEGER FERNANDEZ for her lead- dozen Members of Congress who serve
why I am so excited about the oppor-
ership. in Congress who is a naturalized cit-
tunity to actually advance a path to
Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Madam izen. When I came to Congress in 2017,
citizenship for Dreamers, TPS holders,
Speaker, I thank the gentleman for there were actually only six of us at
essential workers, and farm workers in
going to the border because it is only that time. Then it moved to 12, and
now it moved to 24. It is good that we the upcoming reconciliation package.
when we go to the border, but go to the This is an opportunity for us to actu-
border not with the intent to create a are here and that we are representing
the voice of immigrants who come ally face the truth about who it was
wedge issue but with an intent to lis- that kept the country going during the
from all over the world seeking refuge
ten and with intent to open our arms COVID–19 pandemic. The COVID–19
because that is the identity that the
that we really see what is going on, the pandemic only underscored how our
United States has as a place to seek
seeking of refuge. I went to the border communities and our economy rely on
refuge.
with actually a bipartisan delegation I came here when I was 16 by myself. the work of immigrants. Throughout
surprisingly. It was wonderful. It was a My parents just had a few thousand the pandemic, immigrant workers have
bipartisan delegation. dollars in their bank account, and they filled a broad swath of duties from
It struck me. Meeting with those used all of it to send me, their child, picking and preparing the food we eat,
young children who are alone it struck across the ocean by myself at the age to cleaning our homes and community
me that the seeking of refuge and send- of 16 because they believed that this spaces, to serving as front-line medical
ing your child alone to a place that you was the place that I would have the professionals and the heroic teachers
believe is safe, Madam Speaker, is as most opportunity. who educated our kids over Zoom.
old as the Bible itself. Remember, But it isn’t just that. It was 20 years We are talking about an estimated
Madam Speaker, Moses’ mother put ago that in Washington State I started 5.2 million undocumented immigrants
her child in a basket and sent him what was a grass-roots effort to orga- who were serving as essential workers,
down the Nile because that was the nize against the Bush administration nearly 15,000 DACA recipients who have
way to save his life. When we think of at that time cracking down on immi- pivoted to remote learning as teachers,
that, let’s remember the tears and the grants, Arab Americans, Muslim Amer- 1.7 million immigrants working in the
pain in the heart of every parent who icans, and South Asian Americans and food supply industry to put food on our
sets out on that journey to seek asy- curtailing civil liberties. That was the tables, and over 200,000 undocumented
lum; and let’s remember that it is the moment that I got involved in grass- immigrants working as healthcare
law of this land; it is the law of the roots organizing around immigration practitioners including as registered
United States and of the world to allow issues and ended up starting and found- nurses and home health aides.
asylum and to grant asylum when you ing what became the largest immigrant That is why we put as one of our top
fear for your lives. advocacy organization in Washington five priorities for the Congressional
What we have now is a broken sys- State and one of the largest in the Progressive Caucus in the reconcili-
tem. Trump took a sledge hammer to country. ation package a roadmap to citizenship
it. But we must demand that it be put Madam Speaker, if John Lewis were for these essential workers.
back together. here, he would tell you that the first
So, Madam Speaker, I thank the gen- b 1930
thing that I said to him when I came
tleman for sharing his thoughts with on to the floor is: You taught me how One million of these undocumented
the Nation today. to make good trouble. essential workers are also Dreamers.
Madam Speaker, I yield to the gen- The reason is because I, too, got ar- Just a few weeks ago, a judge in Texas
tlewoman from Washington (Ms. rested multiple times fighting for im- cruelly ruled against the DACA pro-
JAYAPAL). I thank the gentlewoman for migration reform in civil disobedience gram, stopping the government from
serving as the chair of the Congres- that was about calling attention to the processing new applications and, once
sional Progressive Caucus that allows pain of the country when we treat im- again, throwing the status of hundreds
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us to have this conversation here migrants with the cruelty that we have of thousands of DACA recipients back
today. treated immigrants with both Demo- into limbo.
Ms. JAYAPAL. Madam Speaker, I cratic and Republican administrations This is not what the American people
thank Congresswoman TERESA LEGER through the past to today. want. It was yet another urgent re-
FERNANDEZ. It has been a joy in Con- Yes, Donald Trump did something to minder about why we need to end the
gress to have the gentlewoman’s voice, the immigration system that was be- filibuster in the Senate and pass the
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H4282 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE July 29, 2021
Dream and Promise Act that we al- gress to go into a Federal prison where here, unless you were Native American.
ready passed multiple times in the mothers and fathers who had been sep- Either you came enslaved on ships
House of Representatives. arated from their children, in many against your will and were forced to
This, though, cannot wait. We cannot cases, babies as young as 3 months old, work and your labor was taken, or you
wait, and so it is time for us to act in under the previous administration and came as an immigrant in some cat-
this upcoming package. the previous President, when they were egory.
Further, over 7 million immigrant es- imprisoned—these parents were impris- The reality is, Madam Speaker, there
sential workers do have legal status, oned and separated from their children. are many things that we have to do.
but they only have temporary status or When I went to see them, a couple of Thank goodness this new administra-
are waiting to adjust their status. weeks into this crisis, and as the first tion closed the Irwin Detention Center,
When we talk about immigrant essen- Member of Congress to do so, I met where women were being sterilized
tial workers, it is crucial that we rec- with hundreds of parents, mothers and without their consent. Thank goodness
ognize that many of them do have legal fathers who did not know where their that for-profit, private detention cen-
status and have been waiting—in some children were. ter was closed in Georgia.
cases, in waiting lines projected to last Some of them were given slips of We had that resolution—that was my
over 80 years to transition—to a road- paper that had names of children on resolution—on the floor. And do you
map to citizenship. them. But guess what? They weren’t know what? It passed with bipartisan
I know that when I became a citizen, their children because DHS had lost all support. Members on the other side of
Madam Speaker, it was after 17 years trace of which children belonged to the aisle, as well, couldn’t stomach
of being on multiple visas. By the time which parents. that.
I became a U.S. citizen, it was impos- What we know today is that there are We have an opportunity here to do
sible for me to uproot my family, my still hundreds of children who are sepa- something really tremendous in the
parents, and bring them to the United rated from their parents. Their parents next reconciliation package. I know
States to be with me. That is why they have been deported, in some cases, and firsthand that our immigration story is
still live in India, and I live here. I they will never be reunited. This was one of struggle and resilience. Immi-
have not lived on the same continent by design. This was cruelty of epic pro- grants push boulders up mountains,
as my parents since I was 16 years old. portions perpetrated by the last Presi- and we succeed because we have to.
Every day, essential immigrant dent and everybody who went along There is no other option for us.
workers put their own health and the with those policies. Not all Repub- It is that strength of courage that
health of their families at risk, show- licans did, by the way. comes out of struggle that is what de-
ing up to work on the front lines so I remember when Laura Bush spoke fines America, defines immigrants in
that we and our families could stay out against this and said this is not America. So, I look forward to doing
safe. They do all of this knowing full who America is. Well, I have a different everything I can to make sure that the
well that a simple traffic stop could perspective on that because we have Congressional Progressive Caucus con-
tear them away from their families and tinues to push for bold, progressive im-
had a lot of things happen in America
communities, and that should they get migration reform and that we make
that remind us that we have a bad side
COVID, they likely wouldn’t have ac- sure that we get a path to citizenship
to America as well.
But we have resilience. We have ref- for our essential workers who have
cess to healthcare.
For instance, TPS holders have been been taking care of all of us through
uge. We have humanity. When that
serving on the front lines, even as the this pandemic.
trumps, that is the best of America.
Madam Speaker, I thank Representa-
former President rescinded their TPS The reality is, Madam Speaker, I
tive LEGER FERNANDEZ for her tremen-
designation and threatened to rip them went down to the border, as well, mul-
dous work, her leadership, her heart,
away from their communities. tiple times. In fact, I see my colleague
and her passion.
Recognizing the tremendous con- over here. I think he called me—I for- Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Madam
tributions of immigrants, countries get what he called me, but I think he Speaker, I thank Representative
like France actually acted to expedite called me a Congresswoman coyote. JAYAPAL, and I really do appreciate the
citizenship for essential immigrant No, I am not yielding to you, Mr. Congressional Progressive Caucus’ sup-
workers. Not only is that the right GAETZ. But I appreciated that because port for making sure that we include
thing to do, but it is also good for our I helped children across the border as a immigration reform in the reconcili-
communities and for our economy. Member of Congress. ation.
Most of these workers have lived How could anybody be against that? We can do that because it has a di-
alongside us as friends and neighbors These were children traveling alone. rect economic benefit to this country,
for over a decade. They are deeply root- Had I not been there, as a Member of and it has a direct economic benefit
ed in our communities. Many have U.S. Congress, they wouldn’t have gotten that will be reflected in the budget.
citizen children and family members, over and been able to be processed be- And we support it.
and tearing them from their homes and cause the last administration actually But I think the other thing to re-
their families would leave gaping, irre- closed all the ports of entry. member is the country supports it. The
placeable holes in communities across When I went to Tijuana and met with support for doing immigration reform
the country. so many of these people—I remember a is huge. Sixty-seven percent of voters
Moreover, if doing the humane thing 15-year-old boy who had been shot in support the DREAM Act. Eighty-three
isn’t enough for you, and if doing the his knee. His mother said to him to percent of Americans support a path-
popular thing isn’t good enough for you just go as quickly as he can because his way to citizenship for immigrant
either, then look at the economic ben- brother had already been killed by youth. Sixty-five percent of voters sup-
efit. In 2019, immigrant essential work- gangs. Just go. Just go. Just try to get port citizenship for undocumented
ers had an estimated $860 billion in there. farmworkers.
spending power, and that is after pay- This was a strapping young boy, and It is something that the country sup-
ing up to $239 billion in Federal and he wept as he played me the message ports because they understand that im-
payroll taxes, as well as an estimated that his mother had left him so that he migrants, they are us. They live with
$115 billion in State and local taxes. So could listen to it over and over again in us and care for us and are us. Ameri-
it is clear that immigrants are helping the shelter that he was in to get away cans know that, and they support that.
to sustain our communities and bolster from gangs and violence. So, then, we must ask, why are we
our economies. This is what we are dealing with. not doing this? We will work on that.
dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with HOUSE
Madam Speaker, the gentlewoman That is why I have introduced the Madam Speaker, I yield to the gen-
and Mr. BOWMAN were talking about Roadmap to Freedom resolution, which tlewoman from Michigan (Ms. TLAIB)
the importance of going to the border, lays out a positive vision of who Amer- to tell us the stories and to raise her
and I just have to recall some of the ica is, and who we should be, and who voice about the immigrant experience.
worst cruelty that I saw in the last 4 we can be if we continue to embrace Ms. TLAIB. Madam Speaker, I am a
years. I was the first Member of Con- those roots by which everybody came proud child of immigrants.
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July 29, 2021 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H4283
Both of my parents immigrated from on my Muslim brothers and sisters, They are focused on blaming them for
Palestine. My dad’s journey actually many of them just trying to experience any economic downfall.
was from Palestine as a young boy, and and live in this border community. Guess what? Poverty is increasing,
he grew up, his teenage years, in Nica- A 9-year-old ACLU investigation of not because of our immigrants, but be-
ragua. From Nicaragua, at 19 years old, Customs and Border Patrol operations cause we haven’t been able to focus and
he came to the United States. in Michigan revealed just how incred- put people before profits. We would
My father, with a fourth grade edu- ibly racist the agency is. The report re- rather do tax breaks for billionaires in-
cation, couldn’t ever experience human vealed that, even though CBP’s man- stead of actually taking care of our
dignity anywhere except until he came dated mission is to police the border, neighbors. We try to go ahead and
here and worked for Ford Motor Com- only 1.3 percent of their cases in Michi- blame our Brown and Black commu-
pany and became part of the United gan involved attempted entries from nities for everything going wrong in
Auto Workers, the UAW. That is when Canada that were illegal. Ninety-six their own neighborhoods. That is just
he felt, for the first time, human dig- percent of those arrested by CBP in not how it works.
nity in the workplace. Michigan were recorded by agents of I am here because I also wanted to
My father, in the 1970s, used to be in being nonwhite. talk about Jakelin, if I may. Jakelin’s
Detroit, on the corners. If you came up Now, I want to explain this to you story was really eye-opening to me as
to him before he got to Ford, he would all. My block club president, this beau- to what is really going on at the bor-
pull up his arm and say, ‘‘Which watch tiful Cuban, Black, mixed person, he is der. She was a 7-year-old who died
you want?’’ Because he hustled. That is an incredible advocate. He works in the shortly after arriving in the United
how he provided for his family. auto industry. He is out there with this States in 2018.
My mother only went up to eighth guy from Germany coming in on a vis- Jakelin turned 7 years old on her
grade because she was trying to pro- itor visa. He is in this car, and he is 2,000-mile journey north through Mex-
vide for her family, which is a farming showing them the border, the river- ico. She was given her first new pair of
family in Palestine. When she came to front, just the walkway, and just show- shoes for this journey. Her and her fa-
this country, pregnant with me, never ing: Hey, that is Canada. This is my ther went north in search of a better
could they have imagined their daugh- community. This is where I live. life and to try to make money to send
ter ever becoming a United States Con- He is driving around and, of course, home to Jakelin’s mom and her two
gress Member and coming here with CBP stops him. He goes to the guy who siblings. Her family is from a tiny vil-
that lived experience and under- is here on a visitor visa: Hey, I know lage in Guatemala, and they lived on
standing the importance of bringing you are from Germany. Don’t worry. approximately $7 per day. She was one
truly loving and caring farm immi- Just have your immigrant documents of two children to die in CBP custody
grant neighbors. ready and everything. that month alone.
The human impact on doing nothing But guess what? They didn’t ask the I say this because, where is the mo-
in regard to immigration is real. I grew guy from Germany for any of his docu- rality when it comes to these beautiful
up in Southwest Detroit—20 different ments. They asked the U.S.-born cit- children that are coming with their
ethnicities. I want you all to know izen, Brown neighbor of mine for those parents? Where is the morality and un-
what that feels like, right? immigration documents. derstanding that people are coming
I mean, this is a majority Black city Not only that, one of my neighbors here for this better opportunity and we
with a little bit of beautiful Brown running around in her own local park, have no pathway? This broken immi-
spice here and there. I mean, it was in her own local park, was asked: gration system is hurting all of us. We
just incredible to grow up in such a di- Where are your papers? need to wake up and understand that.
verse community, where I felt like it My beautiful neighbors in southwest
b 1945
made me a better mother, a better ad- Detroit always have my back. They are
vocate, a better American because, at People are now being asked to carry the ones when they got up in the morn-
that moment, I appreciated things that their documents with them, and this ing who knew where my kids were,
my immigrant neighbors had seen never happened for a very long time, up what was going on in the community.
through their lens and my Black neigh- until about 15 or 20 years ago. To my They were and still are just an integral
bors through their experience in this good colleague from New Mexico, you part of my neighborhood and my com-
country as they were fighting against should know this. This is a community munity. When I look around, all I see is
racism, and continue to do so, and dis- that has never seen these kinds of ICE beauty, people that just want to live
crimination. and immigration operations at schools, and thrive in our country.
It is so incredibly important, as we which is illegal. It is against our own I can show all kinds of economic ben-
think about this, not to allow others to Federal policies. They were doing them efit, but it is not enough, because a lot
fear our immigrant neighbors, to allow near churches. I mean, literally, near of people want to blame my immigrant
our country and policies to blame them churches, against their own Federal neighbors for everything wrong. And
for everything wrong in our country, policy. So it is really incredibly impor- everything wrong is not because of
when we all know they helped build it. tant to understand just how broken that; it is because you keep putting
I also want to take a moment be- those systems are. corporations before our people, period.
cause I think it is incredibly important We can continue to talk about the That is it. You look at the budget, you
to know that I grew up in a border contributions and the benefits of immi- see how much we are spending on de-
community. Right there in Detroit, on grants and our immigrant neighbors, fense versus how do we address infra-
the other side, you can see Canada. but I don’t want to make it out so—of structure issues? How do we address
What does that mean? Because people course, it is an economic benefit. Many the broken education and inequity in
focus on the southern border. What of my colleagues don’t even realize our education system?
that means is Border Patrol and immi- that most of the food on the table, I have a school district right now
gration enforcement is right there in most the things that are done, are from where the majority of fountains have
our community. immigrant hands touching it, most of garbage bags over them because they
Why this is important is because I it. have no clean water coming through in
want you all to know, as they are sup- You look around. Everybody knows. our schools. Our kids don’t have clean
posed to be patrolling that border, Everybody knows who is building our drinking water in schools. That is not
making sure that illegal drugs and sub- country. Everybody knows that the ag- because of all of these things that they
stances don’t come in, that is not what ricultural community and industry re- keep talking about, about broken im-
dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with HOUSE
they did. This very, very broken Cus- lies on our immigrant neighbors. Ev- migration. No.
toms and Border Patrol system and eryone knows that. But they don’t If you look at what President Reagan
structure in place is so racialized that want to do that. They want somebody did, President Bush and President Clin-
they turned on this beautiful South- else to blame. Instead, my colleagues ton, if you look at what they did, they
west Detroit community. They turned want to focus on making a pathway to created some sort of pathway. It wasn’t
on my Latino neighbors. They turned citizenship, one much more humane. perfect. But this constant vilification
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H4284 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE July 29, 2021
needs to stop. It needs to stop, because We are a Nation of immigrants. All of those families, but, as a mea culpa, as
that is the lazy approach. That is the us. I am tired of the hate and the rac- a way of saying we are sorry, we will
lazy approach of legislating in this ism. make sure that they actually receive a
country. I thank the Congressional Progres- visa and that they receive the kind of
Come on. I grew up here. You know sive Caucus for always speaking that care that we must do whenever you
what Detroit and this beautiful Black truth to power. traumatize a young child. They need
city taught me? You always have the Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Madam that help.
backs of the people you represent. You Speaker, I think it is important to re- We are also going to push to make
focus on helping them get through ev- member that they are not here just be- sure that everyone who pays taxes re-
eryday issues. You focus on what is cause we offer something more. Immi- ceives the child tax credit. Those im-
broken inside, not looking far away grants are here because we need them. migrant families are working, they are
and saying it is all their fault. Some of We don’t exist as a country without paying their taxes, and they were not
them are not even here, and they are immigrants. They are here because getting the benefit of the child tax
blaming everybody else. Accept the they bring music and because they credit. We are going to make sure that
fact that we haven’t had the courage to bring food and poetry and art and we push for that and argue for that. We
stand up and say the economic divide laughter. They bring community. are going to make sure that we high-
in our country is real, that our folks But they also bring incredible eco- light who our immigrant brothers and
are paying the high cost of auto insur- nomic benefits. I talked earlier about sisters are, because they are us.
ance, folks are paying a high cost in a the $1.7 trillion over 10 years, the I want to remind us here today that
number of issues regarding their 438,000 new jobs, the $700 in increased back when this country was founded,
homes, regarding the education system wages for everyone, the 6 years of addi- even with all of its faults and flaws and
and so many other systems. tional life that we give Social Secu- original sins in how we started, that
I am passionate about this because rity. All of those are economic bene- even back then, when our Founders
not only am I a child of immigrant par- fits. talked about what this House should
ents, but I was my mother’s translator Do we know that three-fourths of un- look like, they said that it should be a
until I was 12 years old. I still remem- documented immigrants in the labor mirror, a portrait of America. They
ber, Madam Speaker, that I went into force are actually essential? That said that we should make sure that
Sears and I was translating for my means they are the essential workers. Congress has the right to pass the laws
mother and this cashier just looked at Not just that. They are healthcare regarding how we vote us into office,
her and looks at me and looks at her workers: 38 percent of the home because they did not trust those
and looks at me—and I am 12 years healthcare aides caring for our loved States. This was back at the founding.
old—and she goes: ‘‘She needs to learn ones at home, 29 percent of physicians, They did not trust those States be-
English.’’ 23 percent of pharmacists. They are
I look and smile. Of course, the cause they knew that they would fight
taking care of us. They are keeping us against having our House look like a
southwest Detroit girl came out of me.
healthy. miniature of the American people, a
My head did bob a little bit, and I said: Not only that. They are our entre-
‘‘Excuse me, but I am not translating portrait.
preneurs. They are the ones who are That is the other thing that we are
what you are saying to my mother. I starting our businesses. Right now, 25
am translating what my mother wants going to fight to do, to make sure that
percent of new firms in America are we get the voting rights in H.R. 1
to say to you. Why? Because even with
opened by first-generation immigrants. passed and H.R. 4 passed, because that
her heavy accent, you are dehuman-
The New American Economy reports is how we also continue to push for im-
izing her. You are othering her. You
that over 3 million immigrant entre- migration reform. We know America
are making it like she is less than,
preneurs employ almost 8 million wants it. We talked about those polls,
even though she tries.’’
As she beautifully speaks the English American workers across the Nation. 83 percent, 67 percent. There is great,
language, I feel like, my God, like, if It is immigrants and the children of great support for that. It is only be-
anything, people should appreciate it immigrants, who we have just heard, cause we are not able to truly exercise
more. who come and serve in Congress, but our democratic values of self-govern-
So I say this because this lived expe- they also start over half of all Fortune ance that we have not yet passed it.
rience of my mother, as a naturalized 500 companies. Yet, they are subject to But we have this moment in rec-
American citizen, who is so proud of the hatred that brought tears to my onciliation. We have this moment. It is
having human dignity here, this free- colleague’s eyes. It is not right. a priority of the Congressional Pro-
dom of raising her daughter who is now They are subject to that hatred in gressive Caucus. It is a priority of the
a United States Congresswoman, order to detract us from talking about Congressional Hispanic Caucus. It is a
should be celebrating it and should be what we need to talk about. What we priority of so many of our colleagues.
honoring it. Instead, I know what is need to talk about is, what we have So I am incredibly hopeful.
happening to her in the streets. People been doing in this Congress when we I am looking forward to listening to
are yelling at her to take off her hijab, passed the American Rescue Plan. the President’s words, after a recent
vilifying her. That is what we are doing Instead of going back and being able meeting with the Congressional His-
to our immigrant neighbors, the same to tell your communities that we panic Caucus, to tell us that he will
ones who pick fruit and put it on our passed the American Rescue Plan, help also be supporting this.
tables, who open and revive neighbor- is on the way, we are going to be put- We call upon the Senate to support
hoods that have never seen life since ting shots in arms, and we are going to immigration reform in the reconcili-
they came to our communities. get people back to work and kids back ation act.
I am tired of it. I am tired of folks in schools—they don’t want to talk Madam Speaker, I yield back the bal-
using fear-mongering rhetoric to cre- about that. They want to talk about ance of my time.
ate hate towards my immigrant neigh- that border. That border is not threat-
ening any of us, but that is what they f
bors.
They are here because our country want to talk about because they don’t b 2000
offers something that others don’t. We want to get to the work at hand.
But we are going to get to the work ISSUES OF THE DAY
should understand that. We should cre-
ate a humane and fair and just immi- at hand, and we are going to push to in- The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under
gration system, not one that hurts clude immigration in the reconcili- the Speaker’s announced policy of Jan-
dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with HOUSE
them and allows children to die, that ation. uary 4, 2021, the Chair recognizes the
targets women in detention centers, We heard earlier discussions about gentleman from Florida (Mr. GAETZ)
and separates our families. It is simply the manner in which families have for 30 minutes.
wrong. been torn apart and separated at the Mr. GAETZ. Madam Speaker, the
The most American thing I could do border by the Trump administration. I gentlewoman from New Mexico said
up here is push back and say: Enough. have a bill that will not only reunify that the border is not threatening to
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