[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 16 (Monday, February 4, 2013)]
[House]
[Pages H333-H339]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      CBC HOUR: IMMIGRATION REFORM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Daines). Under the Speaker's announced 
policy of January 3, 2013, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Jeffries) 
is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.


                             General Leave

  Mr. JEFFRIES. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
be given 5 days to revise and extend their remarks on the subject of my 
Special Order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. JEFFRIES. Today we are here as members of the Congressional Black 
Caucus to weigh in on the important issue that confronts this Nation as 
it relates to the need for comprehensive immigration reform. It's my 
honor and my privilege to represent the Eighth Congressional District 
anchored in Brooklyn and parts of southwest Queens, one of the most 
diverse districts in the country; a district that has blacks and 
whites, Asians, Latinos, and immigrants from every corner of the world. 
I recognize in the capacity of my representation in that district the 
significance that immigrants have given both to the communities that I 
represent as well as to the city of New York, the State, and the 
Nation.
  I'm proud that we've been joined by several distinguished members of 
the Congressional Black Caucus which, for more than four decades, has 
been known as the conscience of the Congress. And in that capacity, the 
Congressional Black Caucus has, year after year, spent time trying to 
perfect our democracy and create a more perfect Union. We confront that 
moment right now, here, in this great country of ours as we try and 
figure out how we deal with creating a pathway towards citizenship for 
the more than 11 million undocumented immigrants who are forced to toil 
in the shadows.
  We've been joined today by a co-anchor for this next hour, a 
distinguished classmate of mine from the great State of Nevada, the 
gentleman Steven Horsford, who had the opportunity, I believe, last 
week to be present while President Barack Obama delivered his remarks 
as they relate to immigration reform. And so I'd like to ask Mr. 
Horsford if he might comment on the President's remarks and weigh in on 
the immigration debate from his perspective as a representative from 
the important State of Nevada.
  Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, first I'd like to thank my classmate and 
colleague and say I look forward to serving with him in this historic 
113th Congress as we work together to make this a more perfect Union.
  I also represent one of the more diverse districts in the United 
States Congress. My district is 25 percent Latino, 16 percent African 
American, 7 percent Asian American, 2 percent Native American. It is a 
district that reflects both the urban as well as the rural components 
and communities of our great State of Nevada.

                              {time}  2010

  In fact, Congressional District 4 reflects the State of Nevada, and 
Nevada increasingly reflects all of America. And so I believe that is 
why President Obama decided, of all places that he could visit, he 
visited Nevada last week to discuss the fierce urgency of now in 
adopting a comprehensive immigration reform by this Congress; the fact 
that Nevada reflects the changing demographics of our country, but it 
also reflects the broken system which is our immigration system.
  And so, as I listened to the President, and as we honor today the 
100th birthday of Rosa Parks, I reflect on these issues as a basic 
fundamental civil right, a human right that is guaranteed to us. So 
today does mark the 100th birthday of Rosa Parks, an icon in the 
struggle for justice, a woman who was known as the mother of the civil 
rights movement.
  As an African American woman confronting prejudice and unequal 
treatment under the law, Mrs. Parks remarked that what pushed her to 
say ``no'' on that fateful day in Montgomery was the simple fact that 
her ``mistreatment was just not right,'' and she was ``tired of it.''
  She said, and I quote:

       I did not want to be mistreated; I did not want to be 
     deprived of a seat that I had paid for. It was just time . . 
     . There was opportunity for me to take a stand to express the 
     way that I felt about being treated in that manner. I had not 
     planned to get arrested. I had plenty to do without having to 
     end up in jail. But when I had to face that decision, I 
     didn't hesitate to do so because I felt that we had endured 
     that too long. The more we gave

[[Page H334]]

     in, the more we complied with that kind of treatment, the 
     more oppressive it became.

  It was not complicated. It was prejudice. It was unfair, and she was 
sick of it. She was tired of the constant drumbeat of injustice 
directing every minute of her day. She was tired of facing inequality 
in a country founded on principles of liberty and justice for all. Her 
act of civil disobedience sparked a social movement that changed our 
country forever, and she did it because ``it was just time.''
  So today, we honor her courage and her bravery. We remember her 
legacy and draw lessons from her actions. We take up the cause of 
promoting more just, fair and humane policy for all, because that's 
what we owe Mrs. Parks and all our civil rights leaders.
  It is our tribute to those larger-than-life pioneers. As Dr. Martin 
Luther King, Jr. said, ``Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice 
everywhere.'' It is that creed of the civil rights movement that still 
motivates us today.
  So today we take up the cause of joining arms with our immigrant 
brothers and sisters in that spirit. The time is now to lend a hand to 
those who confront injustice as a result of a broken immigration 
system. It is just time.
  For many undocumented immigrants in our country, they are waiting to 
start their lives. They are waiting to start a business. They are 
waiting to reunite with their families, often for years on end.
  And while they wait, children see their parents deported. Students 
get stuck in an educational purgatory and can't attend college and 
better their lives or get a job in the country that trained them. And 
mothers and fathers can't provide for their family or care for their 
loved ones without keeping them in the shadows.
  So they can't wait any longer. We can't wait any longer. And as Rosa 
Parks said, It is just time.
  From Africa to Europe to Asia, our dysfunctional immigration system 
is a disincentive to the best and the brightest worldwide from coming 
to our great country. We throw talent away. We tear families apart. We 
show disregard for those trying to live the American Dream.
  For far too long, we have put off comprehensive immigration reform, 
but now we are taking up the opportunity to do something about it. And 
we cannot let this moment pass. It is in that spirit that we hold 
today's discussion.
  We will not wait any longer. We have to continue strengthening our 
border, but we will act on comprehensive immigration reform without 
delay. We will crack down on employers, but we will make sure that 
there is a pathway to citizenship for those who are here at no fault of 
their own. And we will fulfill our heritage as a Nation of immigrants 
and a Nation of laws.
  Justice, compassion, and equal protection are our common cause. We 
have an opportunity to embrace dynamism that immigrants bring to our 
country, and now is the time to do it.
  As I said, this is a civil rights issue. In fact, it is the civil 
rights and human rights issue of our generation. Just like the civil 
rights issues of the sixties that were fought by African Americans, and 
the women's rights issues before that, this is a civil rights issue 
that must be advocated by all who believe in a sense of justice, 
opportunity and equality for every person.
  And as we work together, we can move forward on immigration reform 
for the good of our country and for the good of all of us as human 
beings.
  Mr. JEFFRIES. I thank the gentleman from Nevada.
  We've been joined by the distinguished chair of the Congressional 
Black Caucus, the gentlelady from Cleveland, Ohio, Representative 
Marcia Fudge. I yield her such time as she may consume.
  Ms. FUDGE. I thank you so very much. It is indeed a pleasure for me 
to be with these young gentlemen here today. I want to thank the 
gentleman from New York, and I look forward to his leadership as he 
anchors this hour for the 113th Congress, and I'm certain that other 
members of his class will be joining him on a regular basis.
  Mr. Speaker, with that I thank him again. This is a lot of work, 
which you know, to come down to this floor every week and talk about 
issues of importance to our Nation. So I thank you.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to lend my voice to those of my colleagues 
on the importance of comprehensive immigration reform.
  The United States is a Nation of immigrants. Most Americans trace 
their lineage beyond our borders. The promise of the American Dream is 
what brings people from all corners of the world to this Nation. This 
country was founded on the principle that here lies the land of 
opportunity, and that anyone can achieve success through hard work.
  But for the millions of undocumented immigrants of Hispanic, Asian, 
and African descent living in America today, the American Dream is just 
a promise, a promise they hope their children may one day realize.
  Many immigrants are confronted with the same harsh realities that 
plague communities of color every day, namely, racial profiling based 
on unreasonable suspicion, systematic criminalization in order to fill 
private prisons, economic injustice that holds many in the bondage of 
poverty--all examples of pitfalls that unfairly, yet intentionally, 
trap, uproot and destroy far too many individuals and families.
  Children in immigrant families also continue to struggle. According 
to the Pew Research Center, there are an estimated 1 million 
unauthorized immigrants under the age of 18 in the United States, and 
as many as 4.5 million U.S.-born children whose parents are 
unauthorized. These children live in fear.
  Every year, nearly 200,000 non-citizens, many with children who are 
U.S. citizens, are deported and torn away from their families.

                              {time}  2020

  As families are torn apart, children are forced to choose between 
separation from their parent or leaving the only place they've ever 
called home.
  How does America end the culture of fear among immigrant communities 
and help preserve families? First, we must create a pathway to 
citizenship that encourages, not discourages, legalization. Second, we 
must address the issues of mass detention and unjust criminality of 
immigrant populations. Third, our laws and justice system must place a 
premium on keeping families together. By creating flexible and 
equitable immigration policies that prioritize the unification and 
stability of immigrant families, we strengthen the fabric that holds 
our communities together.
  Lastly, as a former mayor, I would be remiss if I did not mention the 
important role our States and local governments will play in 
immigration reform. As undocumented immigrants come out of the shadows 
of society, our State and our local governments will need our support 
more than ever. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., once said:

       History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of 
     this period of social transition was not the strident clamor 
     of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good 
     people.

  Today, we are in a period of social transition. As the ``conscience 
of the United States Congress,'' the CBC cannot and will not stand by 
in silence. When history is recounted, the record will reflect the 
stance that the CBC took in supporting comprehensive immigration 
reform--reform that not only includes individuals of Hispanic and Asian 
descent, but also thousands of immigrants from within the African 
diaspora, and reform that dignifies the struggles of the undocumented 
and reconnects broken family bonds.
  I urge my colleagues to unite behind comprehensive immigration 
reform.
  Mr. JEFFRIES. I thank the gentlelady from Ohio, the distinguished CBC 
chair, for her remarks and her observations.
  I think there were several important points that were raised by our 
chair, Congresswoman Fudge. First, sometimes the immigration reform 
debate has been characterized as perhaps just a Latino issue. At other 
times it's been characterized as perhaps an Asian issue. There are 
times that the immigration reform debate is characterized as an Eastern 
European issue. But really, immigration reform is an American issue. It 
cuts to the heart of who we are and what we will become. It affects 
every community. And as Congresswoman Fudge indicated, there are black 
immigrants in the United States to whom the issue of creating a pathway 
towards citizenship is extremely important.

[[Page H335]]

  It's estimated that there are 3 million black immigrants in this 
country. Approximately 400,000 are undocumented. Who are these 
immigrants of African descent? Some are from the Caribbean, two-thirds 
of which are from nation states such as Jamaica, Trinidad, and Haiti. 
Others are from the continent of Africa. They are from countries like 
Nigeria and Ghana, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Eritrea.
  I'm pleased that we've been joined by the distinguished gentlelady 
from the Ninth Congressional District in New York, who represents one 
of the largest immigrant populations for a congressional district not 
just in the city of New York, but anywhere in this Nation. She's been a 
dynamic leader on this issue.
  Ms. CLARKE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to add my voice to the CBC and 
amplify the message of support for true and real comprehensive 
immigration reform. First, I would like to thank our newly elected 
colleagues, the gentleman from Brooklyn, New York, Congressman Hakeem 
Jeffries, and the gentleman from Las Vegas, Nevada, Mr. Steven 
Horsford, for hosting this evening's CBC hour.
  Mr. Speaker, I commend President Obama for his commitment to 
comprehensive immigration reform, and I reaffirm my commitment to 
working with his administration and our colleagues to make true reform 
a reality. Having said that, I want to challenge the President and all 
of our colleagues to expand upon the face and the voice of immigration, 
adding new dimensions to the unfolding debate.
  When two major immigration speeches such as those that President 
Obama made in El Paso, Texas, in 2011, and last week in Las Vegas, 
Nevada, in Mr. Horsford's part of the country, omit the contributions 
of immigrants from the continent of Africa, it paints an incomplete 
picture of the idealized gorgeous mosaic or melting pot, if you will, 
that the United States of America represents. We must embrace the 
diversity of those who are impacted by reform and understand that this 
debate cannot solely rest on the shoulders of our Latino sisters and 
brothers.
  The stigmatization of the Latino population as the target immigrant 
population has resulted in a skewed depiction of the true diversity of 
the immigrant population resident in our country. We have immigrants 
represented from almost every Nation around the world, and we must 
recognize all of those who are building communities and strengthening 
our Nation.
  Since 2009, I've been working with my colleagues to diversify the 
voice and the face of the immigration debate. The burden of a broken 
system does not encumber one group of immigrants alone. There are 
approximately 3 million immigrants from the African diaspora in the 
United States, the vast majority of whom entered the country with legal 
documentation. The impact of immigrants of the African diaspora from 
the continent of Africa, the Caribbean region, and South and Central 
America has been massive in scale. As the representative of the Ninth 
Congressional District of New York, I am proud to serve a very 
significant Caribbean, South and Central American, and continental 
African immigrant community whose immigration experience is as diverse 
as the countries from which they've come. In fact, I represent one of 
the most diverse, immigrant-rich districts in the Nation, with people 
who have come from the Middle East, South Asia, Asia, Russia, the 
Eastern European nations. It's a virtual United Nations.
  Many entered our shores with student visas, like my parents did, to 
pursue careers in medicine, science, education, and other professions. 
Many are proud business owners of law firms, restaurants, grocery 
stores, shipping companies, and hair braiding venues. There are those 
who come as asylum seekers, fleeing the tumult of war, famine, and 
genocide. No matter their reason for immigrating, they've come to the 
U.S. to be productive, taxpaying members of our civil society and to 
attain the American Dream.
  Unfortunately, immigrants of the African diaspora, like so many other 
groups from around the world, are dealing with backlogged immigration 
processing; families being ripped apart; falling ``out of status'' 
because they have aged out of the legal immigration process; racial and 
status discrimination; unfair criminal aggravated felony laws that 
prohibit judicial review; deportation processes that violate civil and 
human rights; an insecure and prohibitive student visa program; limited 
access to work permits; and much, much more.
  You see, many immigrants arrive on our shores during a time in their 
lives when they are the most productive. Any delay in processing these 
individuals, in bringing them to the fore, denies us the opportunity to 
access their talents, their skills, and their ability in the prime of 
their lives.

                              {time}  2030

  Additionally, African Americans, those descendants of the slave 
trade--whom I fondly call long-time stakeholders of this Nation--have 
been affected by the broken system as well. Working-class Americans of 
all backgrounds, races, and ethnicities are adversely affected with a 
broken immigration system. They are facing depressed wages due to 
unscrupulous and illegal corporate hiring practices. Urban communities 
aren't being adequately counted by the Census and other surveys, 
resulting in the reduction of adequate government services and Federal 
resources to meet the needs of the actual population in the communities 
and increasing the strain on current public services.
  Urban communities are exposed to more crime, as the undocumented are 
more reluctant to report crimes; and African Americans are dealing with 
increased racial and status discrimination, as many are subjected to 
interrogations based on citizenship.
  This is why, as a child of the Caribbean--second-generation 
American--and a sister of the African diaspora, I believe that it is my 
duty and that of the Congressional Black Caucus to ensure that the 
voices of immigrants of the African diaspora will be at the forefront, 
shoulder to shoulder with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the 
Caucus of the Asian and Pacific Islanders; that the voices of the 
immigrants of the African diaspora will be heard. We will make sure 
that this debate is as diverse as the population it encompasses.
  The effectiveness of the immigration reform debate will rely heavily 
on the diversity of its support. That is why I call upon my sisters and 
brothers within the African diaspora to join with the members of the 
CBC, myself and our colleagues, in making sure that our voices are 
heard and our needs are adequately addressed.
  Mr. Speaker, the time is now to pass a comprehensive bill that 
includes streamlining the immigration process, humane enforcement 
strategies that address the needs of children and other vulnerable 
people, use alternatives to detention, create enforceable detention 
standards, safeguard our investments in our DREAM Act kids, and outline 
essential due process reforms.
  Our national security is at stake. Our moral standing in the world 
depends upon it. And the American people--many of whom are first- and 
second-generation immigrants--have demanded it. If we turn our backs on 
those law-abiding contributors to our civil society that come to our 
shores only to embrace the American Dream, to labor in rebuilding our 
great Nation, to strengthen our economy, to serve honorably in our 
military, we turn our back on ourselves and our future. You don't have 
to believe me. Just ask the people of Japan, where population growth 
has been stagnant as a result of a prohibitive immigration policy.
  It is time for people of good will to stand for those who fear or are 
unable to stand for themselves. Let us stand together for comprehensive 
immigration reform.
  Mr. JEFFRIES. Thank you, Congresswoman Clarke, for those very 
eloquent and thoughtful remarks.
  The Congressional Black Caucus consists of 42 members representing a 
variety of communities all across this great Nation. We've been joined 
today by two Representatives from the Lone Star State, one of whom, 
Representative Sheila Jackson Lee, has distinguished herself in many 
different areas, but has been a thought leader in the area of 
comprehensive immigration reform.
  She is currently the ranking member on the House Committee on 
Homeland Security Subcommittee on the Border

[[Page H336]]

and Maritime Security, and also is a senior member of the House 
Committee on the Judiciary and the important Subcommittee on 
Immigration and Border Security. We're thankful that she's been a long-
time champion of a fair and humane immigration system, and I yield the 
floor to Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. I'd like to thank the distinguished gentleman from 
New York and the distinguished gentleman from Nevada. I particularly 
want to thank them for hosting this vital discussion, this Special 
Order, and pay tribute to them for doing a service to the Nation.
  When we speak on the floor of the House and we come from disparate 
States, from New York, Nevada, Texas, and Ohio--in fact, I think we 
have just about covered America--it has an amazing impact on our 
colleagues, and certainly constituents. So I owe and we all owe you a 
debt of gratitude for the forward thinking, and particularly since 
today has a double meaning. This is the 100th birthday of Rosa Parks. 
She is often called the Mother of Civil Rights. And then our President, 
over the last couple of weeks, and as the gentleman from Nevada knows, 
spent time with him, to speak eloquently about the need for this 
pathway of access to legalization going forward.
  So I am grateful again for your willingness to host this and to begin 
to surge forward, collaborate with members of the Congressional Black 
Caucus, and giving them information in their respective districts, and 
collaborating with the Asian Pacific Caucus, the Caribbean Caucus, and 
as well the Hispanic Caucus. I think there are three of us, but we now 
have a new Caribbean, on which a number of us serve, and as well the 
African diaspora, which includes our brothers and sisters that have 
been mentioned already on the floor. We can go vastly beyond them. It's 
my effort today, and I thank both the gentlemen from New York and from 
Nevada for some potent posters that I hope that I will share with all 
of you.
  Let me share both words from President Obama and some abbreviated 
words from Dr. Martin Luther King. But the words from President Obama 
stated, as it relates to the question of immigration reform, that our 
journey is not complete until we find a better way to welcome the 
striving, hopeful immigrants who still see America as the land of 
opportunity, until bright young students and engineers are enlisted in 
our workforce rather than expelled from our country.
  I think the important part of this discussion tonight is to make sure 
that the landscape of immigration reform is a landscape of many faces, 
many heritages, many backgrounds, many regions in the United States, 
many continents, and that it is important for all of us to have a 
commitment to better opportunity for all. But as we do that, I think 
education is crucial. For as this discussion goes forward, I want my 
friends to know that there will be moments of great contention, there 
will be moments of disagreement, and there will be moments of 
misrepresentation.
  It is important for the broad diaspora to understand that we are in 
this leaking boat together, and that when we utilize the term of 
``civil rights'' or we use Rosa Parks or we speak to the words that Dr. 
King said on April 3, 1968, that said that he could see a Promised Land 
and that he might not get there with us, but he knew that we as a 
people would get there some day, I cannot imagine in the 50th year of 
his ``I Have a Dream'' speech that he could not foresee that America's 
diversity would be its strength, and that African Americans who came 
first to this country as slaves could then join with others who came in 
fishing boats, in airplanes, that walked across the border for greater 
opportunity and make America the dream, the great Nation, the Promised 
Land of which he predicted.
  That is what immigration reform is. It is not to take from someone 
else and to give to someone else. It is not to diminish the civil 
rights struggle of the African American population. It is not to ignore 
the history of others, but it is to say that we have a common ground. 
That is the way that we're going to pass immigration reform.

                              {time}  2040

  If you are a Southerner and a Republican from the South, you have as 
much invested in an America that gives opportunity to all as you may be 
from the wonderful districts that are represented on this floor. And 
until we understand that in the House, and until the Speaker 
understands and accepts it, that this is not taking away, this is not 
undermining anyone's view of America, it is to say that the view of 
America is a promised land that so many come for. It is a recognition 
that Americans have come through the 1800s when the Irish came because 
of the famine, the Italians came in the early 1900s. Other groups have 
come since then, large numbers of Hispanics, Asian Americans, South 
Asian Americans, those who have come from the Asian Pacific area, those 
who have come from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, those who have come 
from the Caribbean, those who come from Africa. They have all come, and 
we have to recognize that.
  One of the issues that seems to be coming up over and over again as 
we look at this issue, and I will speak specifically to the Senate's 
proposal, the general path to citizenship, it talks about the 11 
million undocumented individuals, that the path of citizenship will 
only take place if the border is secured and visa overstays are 
effectively combated.
  Let me be clear that great progress has been made over the Clinton 
administration, moving into the Bush administration, George Bush, and 
then on to the Obama administration, particularly in the Obama 
administration because you can begin to see any suggestion that we have 
not worked to secure the border is based upon lack of information and 
lack of facts. So I want to thank my colleague for a poster that, in 
fact, says that the number of Border Patrol agents has more than 
doubled in the past 10 years.
  When I first began writing legislation in 2004, 2003, 2005, we were 
shortchanged on border security agents. Working with the Senate and 
working with Presidents, we funded the increase of border security or 
Border Patrol agents, and we can see now that the majority of agents 
are assigned to the U.S.-Mexican border, more than 16,000, and more--
and it's growing--that are basically at the border now. I think we can 
do more, if you will, for the northern border; and I look forward to 
working with my chairperson of the subcommittee on that issue.
  But we cannot let the discussion get bogged down in talking about we 
can't provide some access to citizenship. In my legislation, I called 
it ``earned access to citizenship,'' which means there were fines to be 
paid, charitable issues to be paid, you must be vetted; but here on the 
Senate proposal, it talks about securing the border.
  I want to be able to be responsive to their concerns, but they should 
also look at the facts, and they can see that between ICE and CBP, ICE 
is the internal enforcement, CBP, you can see the increase in the 
amounts of money that have gone up in the billions of dollars, now 
close to $18 billion between ICE and CBP, CBP being a little bit under 
$12 billion, that we have truly under the Obama administration been 
serious about border security. In fact, there is a poster board here 
that suggests that the deportations have gone up. That's not the right 
way to proceed.
  So my point today is that there must be common ground. In the Senate, 
they talk about young, undocumented immigrants who were brought to the 
U.S. when they were children will have a more direct path to 
citizenship. That must be clear because those are the DREAM Act kids. 
And, in fact, those individuals are the talent that we are throwing 
away, young people who are in college who are contributing to society 
who can help bring their families, reunite their families, have been 
forced to deportation.
  I want to congratulate the President for his executive order that 
provided a deferred adjudication for DREAM Act youngsters as a basis of 
saying that the ICE should enforce deportation on those who are a 
threat to our community and prioritize those distinctive from those who 
are here who are not doing us any harm who are being educated. So the 
Senate proposal talks about young people. It talks about the backlogs 
of legal immigration and family reunification and the employment visa 
process.
  It also allows more immigrants performing lower-skilled occupations 
to

[[Page H337]]

enter the country when we were created. I want to change that word. I 
don't like the idea of lower skilled. People come to work, if they are 
skilled, they have something to contribute, that is the basis upon 
which we should look at it. But I think for the Congressional Black 
Caucus it is always important to say because our communities suffer 
unemployment in many parts of the country more so than others, that it 
is important in any immigration reform that we ensure that the employer 
has looked very hard for a person who is eligible for that job here in 
the United States.
  That's how we educate our population. That's how we bring together 
the right kind of collaboration. High-skilled immigrants should be all 
of us. High-skilled individuals should be those in historically black 
colleges, Hispanic-serving colleges. We should encourage them to be 
part of science, technology, engineering and math. However, when there 
is an immigrant that is graduating from our top universities, or any of 
our universities, we should not ask them to leave. It is very important 
to do. And we should ensure that they have opportunities.
  The President's general path to citizenship provides a pathway to 
citizenship. These immigrants can register for provisional legal 
status. And his point is, which I believe we should join in, that we 
should not let border security get in the way of making sure that we 
move forward on a legal status process. Young people who, again, were 
brought here as children should have an expedited path to citizenship 
by attending college or by serving 2 years in the military. Slight 
differences that we can find a common ground, legal immigrants, he 
speaks to the plan would increase the percentage of family-sponsored 
immigrants coming into the country over every 7 years, from 7 to 15 
percent.
  This goes to a complaint that you will hear from those in Nevada, 
those in New York, those in your very diverse districts, they complain 
about--not complain--let me say it differently. They want to be 
reunited with their family members. And one of the starkest things that 
happens to any of us who visit with immigrants in our congressional 
office, what about the immigrant who wants to go home for a dying 
relative, or the relative wants to come because there is a dying 
relative here in the United States.

  I had that happen in my district. I had a South Korean student who 
was shot on the streets of Houston, and tragically he became paralyzed. 
When his father came here to be able to comfort him, his father had 
been here, he went back out, he was held and detained. We finally got 
that resolved. But we must find a way to have this punishment, this 
pain, that so many of our immigrants are experiencing, we must find a 
way to be able to work on this in a productive and smart manner. This 
speaks to the fact that we have not been slouches, we have not been 
slouches as it relates to border security.
  I want to speak to the issue of the diversity visa program, which was 
a target of our friends who maybe did not understand what that means. 
But the diversity visa program was to allow people who did not get in 
the normal visa system. It has proven to be a way of helping those who 
come from the continent of Africa, those who come from a number of 
other areas where it is very difficult to get a visa. Nearly 15 million 
people representing about 20 million with family members included were 
registered late last year for the 2012 diversity visa program under 
which only 15,000 visa winners were to be selected.
  That shows the intensity of the diversity visa. And some want to get 
rid of it. It's a lot of African immigrants; it's a lot of people 
trying to come to be with their families. Diversity visa immigrants 
succeed and contribute to the U.S. economy. According to the 
Congressional Research Service, in FY 2009, diversity visa immigrants 
were 2.5 times more likely to report managerial and professional 
occupations.
  The founder of it, Representative Bruce Morrison, said that the heart 
of the definition of America is what this program is about. All 
nationalities are welcome. Ambassador Johnny Young said the program 
engenders hope abroad for those who are too often without it, hope for 
a better life. And so I hope as we look at immigration reform we will 
not attempt to eliminate opportunities to bring families together.
  Finally, with respect to security issues, there's no significant 
evidence of a security risk with the diversity visa. The GAO found in 
2007 no documented evidence.
  These points about the issue of where we can come together and where 
there are distinctions is to raise the specter of how serious and 
difficult this process may be. The Congressional Black Caucus will be 
pivotal in its role, one, because it is the conscience of this 
Congress; two, because we have the uncanny ability of seeing from a 
broader perspective what we have gone through in our lifetime, what our 
communities go through. We've seen discrimination, and we are 
sympathetic and sensitive to how we can help others.
  So I think the challenge is as we proceed on this process that all of 
us be included in this discussion, that the working group includes 
members of the Congressional Black Caucus and that as we encourage 
legislation to come to the Judiciary Committee, which is the committee 
that I sit on, the Immigration Subcommittee that Zoe Lofgren chairs and 
which I'm second on that committee, and as it goes through Homeland 
Security where the ranking member, Mr. Thompson, and Mr. McCaul share 
the leadership, in Judiciary Mr. Conyers and Mr. Goodlatte, where I am 
the ranking member on the Border Security Subcommittee, that we, 
through the Congressional Black Caucus, find a way to uphold the values 
of our ancestors, uphold the values of the pioneers and leaders who 
have traveled through the journey of civil rights that we can see the 
plight and the pain of those who come now.

                              {time}  2050

  I want to say in closing that as a Member of the Congress having the 
privilege of serving the 18th Congressional District, even in a city 
like Houston, it is enormously diverse, having a large number of 
counselor offices, and people who have come from all walks of life, who 
have come through outdoors in the 18th Congressional District begging 
for help, pleading for their children not being deported, and I would 
say to my colleagues you can not, and those of you who come from this 
diverse background, fully understand what it's like to hear a mother's 
shrill scream in your office when you said to them that we are going to 
stop the deportation of your child. We've all understood that pain if 
we've encountered immigrants who do nothing more and want nothing more 
than to live the American Dream, who are paying taxes, building houses, 
and working for the betterment of us all, serving in the military and 
shedding blood.
  For this reason I think it is crucial that we try to overcome the 
hurdles, the differences of opinion, the tension that will rise, and 
have a common place to start from and a common ending. And that is the 
betterment of all people who contribute and make America great.
  Comprehensive immigration reform will not hurt those of us who stand 
on this floor, and we will not allow it to hurt those who we represent. 
It will be a focus roadmap for all of us to work for a great and 
wonderful promised land that Martin King dreamed about and spoke about 
a few years ago.
  Mr. JEFFRIES. I thank the gentlelady from Texas for her very pointed 
observations on a variety of different issues concerning the 
comprehensive immigration reform issue.
  I would just like to amplify for a moment one point that was made as 
it relates to the significance of the diversity visa lottery program. 
It's a program that in its conception is designed to make sure that 
immigrants from underrepresented parts of the world have an opportunity 
to come to America and participate in the American Dream. And in the 
context of this diversity visa lottery program, approximately 20 
percent of the African immigrants who are here in this country are here 
as a result of participating in that program.
  It has been an instrumental vehicle for ensuring diversity as it 
relates to the presence of immigrants from the African continent, who 
by the way, statistics have shown, tend to be more educated in their 
attainment of college degrees than any other immigrant

[[Page H338]]

group. As a result, they are very much contributing to moving the 
society forward. And for that reason I believe it will be important for 
the CBC to continue to stand up for this program as we move forward 
with comprehensive immigration reform, and so I thank the gentlelady 
for those observations.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Will the gentleman yield for just one quick moment. 
I want to applaud him for that and just add two groups that we did not 
mention yet that will really be impacted by comprehensive immigration 
reform: Liberians who came here on deferred enforcement, who are now 
still in limbo and worked with us over the years. We've been, if you 
would say, advocates for them. And Haitians, who have a distinctive 
pathway into citizenship, who have certainly been contributing, fought 
with us in the Revolutionary War.
  And you are absolutely right, the diversity visa has been a lifeline, 
not for terrorists, but a lifeline for hardworking immigrants. And I 
hope that when we debate this, as I said, mountains of tension or 
disagreement, that we can find common ground to include all these 
groups that will help better America and grow America strong.
  Mr. JEFFRIES. One of the things that we hope to accomplish today as 
we move forward in the context of advancing this immigration reform 
debate is making sure that the facts surrounding the issue of 
immigration are well known. This is a Nation of immigrants, and it's a 
Nation of laws. And some have articulated the concern that we must 
secure the border before we can move forward and create a pathway 
toward citizenship for those who are in the country and undocumented.
  Much has been made about the southwestern border in particular. And 
the gentleman from Nevada, I believe, has some statistics that he can 
speak to as to the progress that has been made in securing the border, 
points that were also made by the gentlelady from Texas.
  Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, again, I would like to thank the gentleman 
from New York for yielding and to expound on some of the points that 
the gentlelady from Texas made in regards to the tremendous progress 
that has been made on strengthening the border.
  She touched on the doubling of the number of Border Patrol agents 
from 10,000 to 21,000 agents in just the past year. That's a doubling 
since 2004 of resources. And this is tremendous in that it actually is 
the largest per year enforcement of any other federal law enforcement 
combined. It's $17.6 billion worth of enforcement on our border. And so 
progress has been made. And the deportations signify that. Half of 
these deportations have been to individuals who committed crimes, 
illegal crimes, and were deported for that reason.
  But let me also touch on another element, which the gentlelady also 
discussed. And that is immigration, and the history of immigration 
policy in our country has always focused on the family and keeping the 
family together and reuniting family members. And so we have to be 
careful when we talk about deportation, what that means for 
individuals, because this is a human rights issue.
  In my district, in Congressional District 4, I met with a group of 
citizens on Sunday before the President came, and there was one family 
there who explained to me a situation where the mother had been 
deported and the children now are in foster care. They cannot be 
reunited with their family because of the status issues. And that is 
something that is having a human toll because we have a broken 
immigration system that must be fixed. That has always been a 
cornerstone of our immigration policy in this country, the focus on 
keeping our families together, not just on labor or economic issues, 
which should be at the forefront as well.
  And so enforcement has been a big cornerstone, and should be a major 
cornerstone, of the policy going forward. But the pathway to 
citizenship is the cornerstone. And I believe the Congressional Black 
Caucus as a stakeholder in this discussion, working with our colleagues 
on the other side and in the other Chamber, must articulate why there 
cannot be a precondition, a litmus test on border security, in order to 
provide for a pathway to citizenship that so many individuals depend 
on.
  Let me also discuss one other element of a comprehensive immigration 
reform that is necessary, and it's important to my district, in 
Congressional District 4, and that's the focus on enhancing travel and 
tourism.
  The administration under President Obama is committed to increasing 
U.S. travel and tourism by facilitating legitimate travel while 
maintaining our Nation's security. Consistent with the President's 
executive order on travel and tourism, the President's proposal 
securely streamlines visa and foreign visitor processing. It also 
strengthens law enforcement cooperation while maintaining the program's 
robust counterterrorism and criminal information-sharing initiatives. 
It facilitates more efficient travel by allowing greater flexibility to 
designate countries for participation in the visa waiver program, which 
allows citizens of designated countries to visit the United States 
without obtaining a visa.

                              {time}  2100

  Finally, it permits the State Department to waive interview 
requirements for certain very low-risk visa applicants, permitting 
resources to be focused on higher risk applicants, and it creates a 
pilot for premium visa processing.
  So these are all of the components that have to be part of the 
comprehensive immigration reform. These are the tenets which the 
Congressional Black Caucus, in working with the Congressional Hispanic 
Caucus and the Congressional Asian Pacific Caucus, believes to be the 
cornerstones and the principles by which any comprehensive immigration 
bill should be passed.
  Mr. JEFFRIES. Thank you, Congressman Horsford.
  We have been joined by our distinguished classmate, the gentleman 
from Texas, Congressman Marc Veasey, who represents an extremely 
diverse district in the Dallas area and who has been a tremendous 
thought leader on this issue, and it is my honor to recognize him.
  Mr. VEASEY. I want to thank my colleague Hakeem Jeffries, who is from 
the great State of New York, and Mr. Horsford for their leadership on 
this issue. They, too, understand how important it is that we speak out 
on this issue. It is not only important to our constituents and our 
States but to the entire country.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity to address the Chamber 
on the very important topic of comprehensive immigration reform. I 
would also like to express my gratitude to the Congressional Black 
Caucus for not only their leadership on this issue but also for 
allowing me, as a member of the caucus, to continue this meaningful and 
urgent discussion. As Members of Congress, it is our duty to be the 
voices of our constituents by creating and passing legislation that 
addresses their concerns.
  For much too long, 11 million voices have waited for Congress to work 
together on comprehensive immigration reform. They're in neighborhoods 
like the ones I represent in Dallas and Fort Worth and Oak Cliff, which 
is in Dallas on the north side of Fort Worth. This is an issue that is 
very important, not only to those neighborhoods, but to the 
neighborhoods in the entirety of the district that I represent. The 
consensus on this issue has never been stronger, and I am proud to see 
Members on both sides of the aisle working together and finding a 
practical solution to this problem while President Obama leads the way.
  I applaud the comprehensive immigration reform efforts, including the 
proposals put forth by the President and bipartisan groups of Senators, 
which call for protecting our borders while respecting the unity and 
sanctity of our families. Our undocumented immigrant community includes 
DREAMer schoolchildren, who are excelling in math and science, wanting 
to attend college in the only country they've ever known. It also 
includes hardworking men and women who are only trying to make an 
honest living and provide for their families.
  Comprehensive immigration reform is about accountability and 
responsible public policy. It is not feasible, economical, or moral to 
propose the deportation of 11 million people who are living and working 
hard in our country. What reform calls for is responsible

[[Page H339]]

public policy that provides certainty to employers that the people 
wanting to work are legally eligible to do so, thereby bringing a 
significant population of our country out of the shadows.
  Mr. Speaker, our borders are more secure than ever before. Border 
security is a serious issue, and we must continue to enforce our laws, 
but we can also enact a fair immigration system by working together. 
Providing appropriate protections to undocumented workers, including 
fair wages and safe working conditions, is the right thing to do to 
ensure the development of our economy and our Nation's security.
  As the Congressman from the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, I understand 
the necessity of bipartisanship on this issue. My first days in office 
have been devoted to relationships and coalition-building on both sides 
of the aisle. I look forward to continuing those efforts, and I will 
not stop until we achieve a fair and comprehensive immigration reform 
plan. I will work closely with my friends in the Congressional Hispanic 
Caucus and in the Congressional Black Caucus and with all of my 
colleagues who would like to join this effort. The voices of those in 
my district and across the country are being heard. It's time to make 
comprehensive immigration reform a reality.
  Mr. JEFFRIES. I thank the gentleman from Texas.
  As he indicated, the time is now for us to move forward--to find 
common ground and to figure out how we can advance this issue in a 
manner that respects the security concerns that have been articulated 
but which also recognizes that, 6 years ago, several benchmarks were 
set forth for security measures to be reached in order for 
comprehensive immigration reform and a pathway towards citizenship to 
be created.
  Six years ago, there was a call for at least 20,000 border protection 
agents. Right now, there are 21,400 border protection agents. Six years 
ago, there was a call for a fence to be constructed along the southern 
border of approximately 670 miles, although our border security folks 
have said they believe a fence would be adequate that is 652 miles, 651 
miles of which have already been constructed. There was a call for 
video surveillance assets--these are cameras and radar--deployed along 
the borders of this country. Six years ago, the call was for 105 such 
video surveillance assets. Mr. Speaker, right now, there are more than 
250 deployed in the United States of America. We have met or exceeded 
the security benchmarks that have been set. That's why it is time for 
us to move forward with comprehensive immigration reform.
  We have also been joined by another distinguished colleague of ours, 
the gentleman from Newark, New Jersey (Mr. Payne), and I recognize him 
at this time.
  Mr. PAYNE. Let me first say ``thank you'' to the gentleman from New 
York, the gentleman from across the river with whom we are looking 
forward to having a great working relationship, as well as with the 
gentleman from Nevada, who has also distinguished himself very early in 
this Congress.
  As we debate this issue, we must not forget that we are a Nation of 
immigrants, and it is our rich history of immigration that has 
strengthened this country generation after generation. Yes, we must 
secure our borders, but we must also recognize that there have been a 
record number of deportations and seizures over the last 4 years. This 
issue of border security cannot be used as a fear tactic to prevent 
progress. In my district, people migrate from all over the globe, not 
just from Latin America, but from the Caribbean and Africa and Asia as 
well, and they are all in search of the same thing--the American Dream.
  Children who were brought here through no fault of their own and who 
think of themselves as Americans wait in limbo, so we have a moral 
obligation to fix our broken system. It is not only the right thing to 
do, but it is the practical thing to do. Over 11 million undocumented 
workers live in our communities. They go to our schools, and they work 
among us every day. It is time for Congress to provide these 11 million 
people their chance to come out of the shadows without the specter of 
deportation hanging over their heads.
  It's also time to streamline the legal immigration process and to 
make it more efficient for high-skilled workers and those working in 
science fields to be able to stay and keep their talents here.
  In my district--the 10th district of New Jersey, and in every corner 
of America, immigrants are receiving degrees in science, technology, 
engineering, and math. They are the business leaders and innovators of 
the future. But when they graduate, they are sent home.
  If we want to remain the pre-eminent country in the world--If we want 
to continue to attract the best talent--If we want to continue to out-
innovate the rest of the world--if we want to continue to be a just 
nation. Then we must act now.
  Mr. JEFFRIES. I thank the gentleman from New Jersey for his comments. 
I also want to thank the distinguished members of the CBC, including my 
colleague from Nevada, Congressman Horsford, for his leadership, for 
his eloquence, and for the facts that he has brought to bear.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of 
common-sense immigration reforms that will foster economic growth, keep 
our families and our communities together, and protect workers' rights. 
America's immigration system is broken, and we must forge a bipartisan 
agreement to fix it.
  As a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, I will ensure that the 
needs of all communities are addressed in immigration reform. Many 
undocumented immigrants were brought here as children and know the 
United States as their only home. I support the DREAM Act to allow 
these bright young people to build their futures here and contribute to 
our nation's prosperity. Strong families are the cornerstone of our 
Nation, and I believe provisions to guarantee family unity must be 
included in any serious immigration reform bill. I am dedicated to 
keeping families together by supporting a pathway to citizenship for 
undocumented immigrants.
  At the same time, Congress must ensure that immigration reform 
positively impacts economic and employment opportunities for all 
Americans. I will prioritize improving access to adult education 
programs and increasing job training opportunities so that all 
Americans can pursue their dreams and provide for their families.
  It is time to come together to enact fair and reasonable immigration 
reforms that advance our national interests and honor our history as a 
country of immigrants. I will work hard in Congress to ensure that 
these reforms strengthen our communities and drive our economy forward.

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