[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 39 (Thursday, March 2, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H2569]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 SUPPORT UNRESTRICTED LEGAL IMMIGRATION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Florida [Ms. Ros-Lehtinen] is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, my parents and I arrived in this 
country in the early 1960's after escaping the totalitarian 
dictatorship of Fidel Castro in Cuba with the dream of starting a new 
life in freedom. Soon after arriving, my family and I were able to 
learn why this great country was seen around the world as the land of 
opportunity. After much hard work, my parents were able to settle into 
their new home and provide us children with the foundations for our 
future prosperity. That same dream of freedom and democracy that my 
parents had is still shared by the immigrants who arrive to this 
country today.
  Unfortunately, I am afraid that today, across the Nation and in some 
of our political leaders, there is a current which runs against this 
desire. The current, instead, runs in favor of severely restricting and 
even ending legal immigration. This movement is fed by the incorrect 
notion that immigrants are attracted to the United States because of 
our social programs and soon after arriving, they become a burden on 
the State.
  Mr. Speaker, the facts do not back this notion. The reality is that 
immigrants have made positive contributions to virtually all sectors of 
American life. In the economic spectrum especially, immigrants have 
clearly been prominent participants in the growth of the U.S. economy. 
For example, in my hometown of Miami, the number of businesses, large 
and small, owned by Cubans has grown from barely 900 in 1967, to over 
28,000 in 1990. As a matter of fact, 18 percent of all small businesses 
are started by immigrants. This is the entrepreneurial spirit and 
personal initiative we in this country admire, and which the Founding 
Fathers of the United States tried to instill to future generations.
  Moreover, it has been estimated that legal immigrants pay a combined 
$70.3 billion a year in taxes while receiving $42.9 billion in 
services. Add to this the immense amount of human capital which legal 
immigrants bring to this country and there is little doubt that 
refugees have been an integral part of the U.S. economic success story.
  Mr. Speaker, it will be a sad day in U.S. history when we no longer 
look at immigration as positive for our Nation's prosperity. No other 
country can share stories like that of Pablo Fonseca, a Cuban who 
arrived in the 1980 Mariel boatlift and just 2 years later had already 
graduated from Miami-Dade Community College with high honors. He then 
proceeded to the University of Florida and later obtained his dentistry 
degree from the University of Indiana while winning numerous honors and 
awards. Today, Dr. Fonseca is a practicing dentist, full of admiration 
and gratefulness for this country. As he himself said, ``This great 
country is a place of unlimited opportunities. As long as you try hard 
and you know where you are going, the sky's the limit.''
  Or the story of Edith Bolt, a Nicaraguan who arrived in Miami in 1985 
as a teen with no knowledge of English. After graduating from Miami 
Beach Senior High School in 1989 and attending Miami-Dade Community 
College for 2 years, Edith proceeded to graduate magna cum laude with a 
bachelor's degree in finance from Florida State University. Today, she 
works in the action-packed world of finance as a credit analyst for a 
Miami bank.
  Or the story of Winy Joseph, a young woman from Haiti who also knew 
no English but through ESL courses was able to learn the language. 
Today, Winy attends Miami-Dade Community College and plans to continue 
her studies in the field of international relations.
  And finally the story of Jorge Sierra, another Cuban who emigrated in 
1992 to the United States at the young age of 21 without knowing a word 
of English. Today he is a fluent English speaker who has successfully 
obtained a degree in computer science and works as a software 
developer.
  Mr. Speaker, these are just four stories of the thousands which show 
the determination and hard work of immigrants in their drive to forge a 
new life of success. More importantly, these are the stories that make 
America great, that separate this country from all others. Where else 
can the daughter of Cuban refugees who fled their homeland in search of 
a new life become a member of the National Government? Only in America.
  Mr. Speaker, I dare say that all my colleagues in this body know of 
many immigrant success stories. Whether it is the small businessowner, 
or the son or daughter of an immigrant who is now a doctor or a lawyer 
after much hard work from the parents; all of us know of immigrants who 
have succeeded through honest, hard work. To turn our backs on these 
American residents who share the same dreams and hopes as native born 
Americans would be detrimental to this country and would betray the 
spirit of freedom and opportunity of which we are so proud.

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