[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 123 (Wednesday, September 18, 2013)]
[House]
[Pages H5641-H5648]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of
January 3, 2013, the gentleman from California (Mr. Cardenas) is
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.
Mr. CARDENAS. Mr. Speaker, it is a great honor to be here on the
floor to speak to America and those around the world who watch and
understand all that we try to do in this Congress. It gives me great
pleasure and honor to speak tonight about a very important issue that
faces America but is just as important to people from all over the
world.
The United States of America is the country where dreams come true.
It's not hard to see that citizenship is a cornerstone of that American
Dream. We're a Nation of immigrants--and immigration remains one of the
great strengths of our great Nation.
Yesterday, we celebrated Citizenship Day and were reminded of the
important contributions immigrants have made to America--immigrants
from all over the world.
As Congress continues to delay the passage of comprehensive
immigration reform, we're again reminded that the inclusion of a
pathway to citizenship is essential to ensuring that all immigrants are
able to fully contribute to our economy, workforce, and to our
communities.
One of the major reasons that we have so many undocumented workers in
this great Nation is because our legal immigration system is broken. We
should work as hard as possible to ensure that hardworking men and
women who simply want to live the American Dream can do so--and that
they can do so as American citizens.
What happens when immigrants are able to become citizens rather than
just seeing their immigration status legalized? The answer is simple.
We--all of us in America--will have a stronger and more integrated
Nation, a stronger
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economy, and stronger communities. The economic benefits of citizenship
are undeniable. Research shows failure to include a path to citizenship
would have significant economic costs in terms of lost opportunity for
growth, earnings, tax revenues, and jobs for Americans.
Providing only legal status with no pathway to citizenship would
result in $568 billion less in national productivity and $321 billion
less in total income, 820,000 fewer total jobs would be created, and
Federal and State governments would lose out on $75 billion in
additional tax revenue, according to outside estimates.
{time} 2000
Refusing immigrants the opportunity to become U.S. citizens hurts
America. It hurts Americans as well. It hurts our economic interests as
a country.
I want to fix our immigration system and to give those who are
willing to work hard for this Nation and sacrifice of themselves an
opportunity to do so as Americans. This is why I will continue to work
with Democrats, Republicans, and anyone willing to listen to pass an
immigration reform bill that is comprehensive and includes a path to
citizenship.
At this time, I would like to take the opportunity to introduce
Congressman Steny Hoyer, the minority whip from Maryland. Maryland is
one of the earliest States where immigrants landed. Even your State,
Congressman Hoyer, has a flag that represents those immigrants and
their contributions to Maryland; correct?
Mr. HOYER. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
He is absolutely correct, of course. The Maryland flag, which I think
is one of the more distinctive State flags, has four quadrants, two of
which represent the Baltimore family to which the Royal charter was
given, as the gentleman observed, and two represent the Crossland
family, which was the wife of Lord Baltimore. So I appreciate the
gentleman referring to that. And of course all of us live in States
that were started by immigrants.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to join my friend, Representative Cardenas, and
other distinguished Members who are here tonight to pay tribute to the
immigrant heritage of our country.
``From her beacon hand glows worldwide welcome,'' wrote the poet Emma
Lazarus. She went on with her poem to say:
``Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp,'' cries she with
silent lips. ``Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled
masses yearning to be free, the wretched refuse of your
teeming shores. Send these, the homeless, the tempest-tossed,
to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door.''
That iconic image we see so often is a symbol of America's welcome to
those who would participate in making it better. But the poet was
wrong. It was not the wretched refuse of the teeming shores that came
to America. It was some of the most risk-taking, courageous,
entrepreneurial people. It took courage to leave their land, to leave
their language, and to come to America. But because they had ambition
and vision and hope, they came. And they helped to build the greatest
Nation the world has ever seen. Those words engraved on the Statue of
Liberty are a creed of which our Nation must always keep faith.
For Americans, citizenship means more than belonging to a place. It
represents a sacred bond not only between those who carry it, but a
sacred duty to make sure others can earn it who share our devotion to
liberty and justice for all. Yes, those immigrants, they believed that
declaration intoning pursuit of happiness. What a wonderful concept
that ``we hold these truths to be self-evident.'' Pursuit of happiness
is one of those values that we hold forth to all the world.
You know, we hear a lot of talk, Mr. Speaker, on this floor and in
our national discourse about what makes America exceptional, about what
makes us unique and special among the nations of the world. The answer,
I believe, is that we have brought together the best of all the nations
of the world. Those who come seeking shelter on our shores do so
because they want to work hard to succeed. They're willing to take the
risk of leaving all that they know just for a chance to make it in
America. That is why the Congress must pursue, Mr. Speaker,
comprehensive immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship.
Mr. Speaker, 40 percent of all the Nobel Prize winners in America
were born on foreign shores. They came here, contributed here, excelled
here, and made our country better. Those who have come here to build a
strong America--and those who were brought here as children and have
known no other home--deserve a chance to keep contributing to this
country through their hard work and their service to our communities.
Mr. Speaker, I am the son of an immigrant, an immigrant from Denmark.
Serving with me in this Chamber are the sons and daughters, grandsons
and granddaughters, great-grandsons and great-granddaughters, and yes,
even more generations before. Grandsons of immigrants from Mexico, from
Italy, from China, from Africa, from Eastern Europe, from the
Caribbean, from Asia--indeed, from every land in this world.
In marking Citizenship Day, which was yesterday, it is up to us to
make sure that our exceptional American idea of citizenship continues
to manifest itself as an extended hand to all who love freedom, are
committed to justice, and wish to build a strong America for all its
people. Comprehensive immigration reform will enable us, as it has in
the past, to keep that hand extended and bring into our society and
economy those who believe in the power of the American Dream.
Mr. Speaker, let us work together, not as Democrats and Republicans,
but as fellow immigrants. First, second, third, fourth, fifth, however
many generations, we are the children of immigrants. Let us work
together to fix our immigration system and ensure that the lamp beside
the golden door continues to shine its light to enrich our Nation and
continue to offer hope and inspiration for all the world.
I want to thank my colleague, Tony Cardenas, from California. He is a
new Member, but an extraordinarily experienced Member. He knows about
immigration firsthand. I want to thank him for taking this Special
Order because it is important for America to keep that lamp lifted. And
to do so, Mr. Speaker, we need, as Mr. Cardenas has said, to pass a
comprehensive immigration bill. And, Mr. Speaker, we ought to pass it
this year.
I thank the gentleman for taking the time. I thank the gentleman for
yielding me the time.
Mr. CARDENAS. Thank you very much, Congressman Hoyer. I appreciate
those eloquent words and also the fact that you pointed out that you
are definitely a proud American, yet at the same time you are proud to
say that you're the son of immigrants. That's a beautiful thing for us
to welcome and embrace in this country. I hope and pray that we do, in
fact, pass comprehensive immigration reform and pass it soon. So thank
you so much for your leadership.
Next, Mr. Speaker, I would like to invite to share a few words with
all of us my colleague, Marc Veasey, from the Dallas/Fort Worth
metroplex area.
Congressman Veasey, I know Texas is a State of proud patriots, and
they must have been very proud when we read from the Constitution
earlier this year at the beginning of our session. That document is the
basis of a lot of what makes our country so appealing to those people
from all over the world who want to come here and contribute to this
great Nation; isn't it?
Mr. VEASEY. Absolutely.
Mr. CARDENAS. Why don't you tell us a little bit about what being a
citizen is like and what it means to you and the folks in your
district, many of whom protect and defend our great Nation.
Mr. VEASEY. Congressman Cardenas, I thank you very much for doing
this. I would like to thank my friend from the Golden State of
California for leading this important discussion. I'm also very proud
that this is a very diverse group that is here today to talk about the
importance of citizenship and diversity.
As it was pointed out a minute ago by Steny Hoyer, our whip, he
talked about his background and him being a first-generation American.
So many of the contributions and so many of the things that make
America what it is today is because of immigrants. This discussion is
very important. And Congressman Hoyer is right; we need to
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pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill because it's the right
thing to do.
When you talk about the growth and you look at the gross domestic
product, U.S. personal income, I can tell you in my own personal State
of Texas what immigrants mean to our vibrant economy. We have so many
people that are moving to our State every day. And much of that success
that we are experiencing in Texas, the Lone Star State, particularly in
Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex, is because of immigrant growth.
This week we celebrate 226 years since the U.S. Constitutional
Convention was signed into law. Since that time, America's Constitution
has been seen as the backbone for the rights and freedoms of all U.S.
citizens. The U.S. Constitution is the epitome of what it means to be
an American citizen in our country. September 17, the day it was
adopted, is a day to celebrate what this document means for those who
have become or who aspire to be U.S. citizens.
Throughout our Nation's history, immigrants have embraced the spirit
of liberty, justice, and equality for all. These were the same
principles that guided the Framers of the Constitution as they built a
stronger republic. The Founding Fathers felt that the people who
immigrated and spent years building lives in this country deserved
citizenship. We should have that same spirit today in this body.
They were keenly aware that making new immigrants wait a long time
for citizenship denied them the very rights that Americans had just
fought to claim for themselves. By guaranteeing a uniform rule of
naturalization, the Constitution presupposes an immigrant nation. Let's
join the Framers by pledging to support and defend the Constitution and
the laws of the United States of America.
Each year during Citizenship Day, we recognize the newest members of
the American family as they pledge allegiance to our Constitution in
naturalization ceremonies across our great country. This week, U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration Services will welcome over 18,000 new U.S.
citizens during more than 180 naturalization ceremonies hailed across
the country.
As thousands take their first step towards the American Dream, we
must all recognize the obstacles that still exist for so many others
who long to contribute to the next chapter of America's story. The
steps toward becoming a citizen are riddled with difficult, confusing,
and very expensive hurdles. In addition to the cost and bureaucracy,
there are also some individuals in the community preying on immigrants,
taking their money and telling them they are guaranteed citizenship.
Our national, economic, social, and cultural vibrancy are the direct
result of labor and efforts of generations of immigrants. According to
the Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration at the University of
Southern California, income rises an average of 8 to 11 percent when
immigrants become citizens.
Delaying and ignoring real problems in our broken immigration system
for political purposes has not brought solutions; it has only brought
heartache for the many families who wish to assimilate and make America
stronger.
In the spirit of Citizenship Day, I stand with my colleagues to
recognize the many benefits that immigrants bring to the United States
of America.
Mrs. Velasquez-Acosta came to this country from El Salvador and
became a naturalized U.S. citizen. Now her son Sam works in the office
of a Member of the United States House of Representatives. In fact, he
serves the constituents of the 33rd Congressional District in the
congressional office that I represent. He is truly a living person that
can tell you the benefits of immigration--he and his family.
I believe that there is a level of optimism because I see it in Sam
and I see it in so many others who reside in the 33rd Congressional
District, the level of optimism that immigrants have historically
brought to this country and to our State. When you bring new people
into the American family, you energize and get others involved.
{time} 2015
We must focus on the urgency of helping the almost 9 million legal
permanent residents who are eligible for citizenship in this country.
We must help them take those final steps toward the American Dream so
they can fully become a part of the Democratic process. That's what
it's all about.
Today, we must rededicate ourselves to pass comprehensive immigration
reform. This fair, commonsense system would include a pathway to
citizenship for those here now, a family reunification system, and a
market-based structure that meets legitimate labor needs, protecting
both the interest of American workers and industry.
As a nation of immigrants, let us celebrate the long line of aspiring
citizens who have had a positive impact on our history. Immigrants have
enriched our character, contributed to our economy by founding
businesses and creating jobs, and have sacrificed their livelihoods so
that they could defend our freedoms and secure a brighter future for
our children.
The men who signed our Constitution 226 years ago--226 years ago--
envisioned the United States as a land of opportunity. Today, as
legislators, we are charged with building on that same vision, and our
Nation will be stronger for it.
I thank my friend from California for using this time to talk about
something that is so important to our country. We can no longer wait.
The time is now.
Mr. CARDENAS. Thank you very much, Congressman Veasey. Thank you for
sharing those words with all of us.
Mr. Speaker, next I would like to introduce Kyrsten Sinema from
Arizona. She knows what dreams are made of and what it takes to be a
participant in making those dreams come true.
Ms. SINEMA. Thank you, Mr. Cardenas, for holding this event this
evening. I appreciate the time.
Mr. Speaker, many others who will be speaking this evening will spend
time talking about the numbers or the benefits of changing our
immigration laws in our country.
I'm going to tell just one brief story about my district. When I was
elected to Congress earlier this year, I was invited, as many Members
of Congress are, to address and welcome newly sworn-in citizens. As the
swearing-in ceremony was happening on a day that I was in Washington, a
member of my team back in Phoenix joined that citizenship ceremony and
spoke on my behalf.
After the event was over, I asked her how it went. It was her first
time speaking publicly on behalf of our office, and I asked her what it
was like. She answered by telling me about her experience.
The staffer who went to the citizenship ceremony on my behalf is a
young woman named Erika Andiola. Erika Andiola is a Dreamer. She was
born in Mexico and brought to this country as a young person. She went
to junior high and high school in Phoenix, Arizona. She later went to
Arizona State University and graduated with high honors. She now works
for me in my office as an outreach director.
Erika spoke to the individuals who had just become citizens at the
citizenship ceremony and welcomed them as new citizens to our country.
What she said to me afterwards was that one day she hopes to sit in
that citizenship ceremony herself and to become a citizen of these
United States.
Mr. Cardenas, members of the Ninth District, fellow citizens of this
country, this is the reason we must get the immigration reform. Young
people like Erika Andiola have lived in this United States for almost
their entire lives and know no other country. While they watch others
become citizens, they still dream for that day themselves.
Mr. Cardenas, we must make that happen for Erika.
Mr. CARDENAS. Thank you very much, Congresswoman Sinema.
Next, I would like to invite to share a few words with all of us
Congressman O'Rourke from Texas.
Congressman, a lot of us have talked about citizenship and what it
means when you raise your hand and swear allegiance to this country,
and the many ways that immigrants have contributed to our great Nation.
But for you I think it touches a little closer to home.
I've heard there's a new American citizen in your district who has
made a major contribution to your congressional office. Can you share
with us that story?
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Mr. O'ROURKE. Mr. Speaker, I am very honored to be here today to
speak on the topic of immigration reform, immigration reform that is
humane, that is rational, that is fiscally responsible, and to be doing
so with the guidance and leadership of Congressman Cardenas, my friend
from California, who despite his short tenure in Congress has really
emerged as a leader on this very important issue--important to me,
important to the community I represent in El Paso, Texas, important to
our State, and important to our country. Frankly, just to extend it one
more time, important to the world, because I think the world's eyes are
on us today, they're on us as we decide how we are going to respond to
this opportunity, this once in a 20- or 30-year opportunity to make
meaningful, positive changes in our broken immigration system, because
as Steny Hoyer said earlier, ``we are proudly a Nation of immigrants.''
I'm sure it is this way for the gentleman from California, but for me
the moral and ethical reasons are the most compelling--to do the right
thing for those people who are already in our communities, for the
people who have so much to offer who have yet to come to our shores and
will add to the economy, to the civic strength of our communities and
make the places that we live in and the country that we call home a
better place.
I think of Edgar Falcon, a constituent of mine, a U.S. citizen, who
is working. While he's working, he's also going to nursing school to
improve his life, his ability to compete in the marketplace, his
opportunity to contribute back to the community that we live in.
To complete his life beyond his education and his work and everything
that he has done in the community, he wants to marry the woman of his
dreams, a woman named Maricruz, who currently lives in Durango, Mexico,
who would love to be here with the man that she loves.
But unfortunately, because of our current broken immigration system,
she's unable to live here in the United States with the man that she
loves. He's unable to bring her here because when she was a child, her
sister, while they were crossing into the United States, falsely
claimed citizenship for the both of them. Under our current broken
immigration system, that has earned her a lifetime ban from reentry to
the United States.
So despite the fact that an American citizen, someone I represent,
someone who pays taxes into our government, someone who is by all
measures doing everything he can to make our community and our country
a better place, he cannot be with the woman he loves because of what I
think to be a very arbitrary and unhelpful law that is separating two
people who deeply love each other.
What we need to do is correct this through comprehensive immigration
reform and through a measure that we'll be introducing this week, the
American Families United Act, that will allow judges some level of
discretion in cases like these where we have someone who poses no
threat to our country, who can pay a fine, do some sort of penance for
a mistake they made or a family member made on their behalf, and then
if it makes sense for our community and our security is secured, they
are able to join our community, the person that they want to marry, a
U.S. citizen.
I hope that we'll have others who will join us in cosponsoring this
legislation that we'll introduce this week because there are literally
thousands upon thousands of American families, families of U.S.
citizens, who are affected negatively by this immigration law.
As I said earlier, we want to do the right thing for the right
reasons, for the moral imperative. Coming from El Paso, Texas, we
really have been the Ellis Island for much of Latin America, including
Mexico. The people who came through our ports of entry ended up in Los
Angeles, they ended up in California, they went to Chicago, they went
to New York, they went to all points east, west and north, and then
many tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, chose to stay in El
Paso.
It is because of those immigrants, both legal and unauthorized
immigrants I would argue, that El Paso today is the safest city in the
United States. It was the safest city last year as well, it was the
safest city the year before that. For the last 10 years, El Paso has
been one of the top five safest cities in the United States.
When we hear people, who I think out of ignorance, say that we need
to secure the border before we move forward with comprehensive
immigration reform, I tell them that today we are spending $18 billion
on border security, more than we are spending on all other Federal law
enforcement agencies combined, that we've built hundreds of miles of
fencing, that net migration last year from Mexico was actually zero,
that El Paso is the safest city, San Diego is the second-safest. The
U.S. side of the U.S. border compared to the rest of the country is far
safer. We do not have a border security problem today. The border has
never been more secure or more safe.
For all of those reasons, all of the moral ones and all of the
commonsense ones that I just cited, we should do the right thing. Yet
that is not enough for some people.
I will conclude by saying this. It is in our moral interest as a
country that wants to do the right thing. It makes all the common sense
in the world to do the right thing. But if we look at our economic
self-interest, today it is already proven that immigrants, including
unauthorized immigrants, contribute far more to our economy, they
contribute far more to our tax base, they contribute far more to job
opportunities and quality of life than they take in benefits. That has,
I think, been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt.
What we also know is that if some form of the current proposal for
comprehensive immigration reform passes, the CBO has scored it such
that within the first 10 years these new immigrants to our country who
will be on a path to citizenship will be able to reduce our deficit by
more than $150 billion. In the next 10 years, those same immigrants
will reduce our deficit an additional $800 to $900 billion. They'll
also be contributors into Social Security, one of the pillars of our
social safety net, one that is unable to meet its obligations in the
not too distant future. This is surely going to help us to shore up
Social Security as well.
So whether we look at the moral dynamic, whether we look at what
makes common sense for our communities and our country, or whether we
look at our economic self-interest, comprehensive immigration reform
that is rational, that is humane, and that is fiscally responsible
makes sense for this country.
Mr. CARDENAS. Thank you very much, Congressman O'Rourke. We
appreciate the opportunity to hear a perspective from your part of
Texas and our great country.
Next, I would like to welcome and talk a little bit with Congressman
Bill Foster of Illinois, a little bit right now.
Congressman Foster, part of the American Dream is owning a home. I,
myself, was a real estate broker before getting involved in elected
office, and I know that it's tough for those people who want to own a
home if they don't have their documentation in order or their
citizenship in order. We have a lot of vacant homes around the country,
and I know we have some in your district and in my district.
Do you think that more American citizens working hard and
contributing to our economy would help our home-buying market?
Mr. FOSTER. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to highlight the
many important contributions that immigrants make to our Nation and our
economy, to our scientific progress, and to say a few special words on
the positive impact that comprehensive immigration reform will have on
the real estate market in our country.
We are a Nation of immigrants. Many of us are second- or third-
generation Americans, and we have all benefited from the sacrifices
that our ancestors made in search of a better life in America.
In fact, my wife is a first-generation Asian-American who came to the
United States to pursue her education, and was able to become a legal
immigrant and a citizen and a Ph.D., in fact, but who knows that even
our legal immigration system does not work as well as it should.
Every day, families come to this country in search of the American
Dream--better jobs, better education, and a better life for their
families.
[[Page H5645]]
I am proud to represent many of these families, but would like to
share just one incredible story of one of my constituents, Juventino
Cano. Growing up, Juventino lived on a farm in Colima, Mexico, with his
parents and six brothers and sisters. Their home didn't have lights or
electricity, and they all worked long hours on the family farm to make
ends meet.
When he was 17 years old, his stepbrothers encouraged him to come to
Aurora, Illinois, and told him about the wonderful opportunities that
awaited him in America. He was able to get a job with his stepbrothers
at a packaging company.
By 1986, Juventino not only held a steady job and had learned
English, but he had opened his own company, Cano Container Corporation,
in Aurora, Illinois. What started with a single machine and three
employees has now grown into a company with over $20 million a year in
annual sales. Today, not only is Juventino the president and CEO of the
Cano Container Company, he also serves on the board of directors for
the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and as the president of
the board of directors of the Aurora Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
{time} 2030
Cano Container Company has also received its share of accolades,
including being named the minority manufacturer of the year by the
United States Department of Commerce in 2007.
The city and the economy of Aurora, Illinois, have greatly benefited
from Juventino's many contributions to the community. His story reminds
us that immigration reform is good for economic growth. More than 40
percent of Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants or children
of immigrants. These American companies represent seven of the 10 most
valuable brands in the world and collectively employ more than 10
million people and generate annual revenue of $4.2 trillion. That's a
quarter of our economy.
Additionally, immigrants have a huge impact on our housing market,
and passage of comprehensive immigration reform will have a huge
positive impact on our still-recovering real estate markets. A study
from Harvard University found that in recent years, foreign-born
households accounted for 30 percent of the overall growth in the
housing sector.
According to the ``2012 State of Hispanic Homeownership'' report, it
is likely that comprehensive immigration reform would generate 3
million new Hispanic home buyers over the next several years. Every day
that we fail to pass comprehensive immigration reform, we are
forfeiting millions of dollars of economic growth and tax revenue and
slowing the recovery of our housing markets.
If we passed immigration reform that provides a pathway to
citizenship for undocumented immigrants, it would increase State and
local tax collections by almost $150 million a year in Illinois alone.
On the other hand, if all unauthorized immigrants were removed from
Illinois, the State would lose $25.6 billion in economic activity,
$11.4 billion in gross State product, and approximately 120,000 jobs.
As a scientist, I've also seen firsthand the valuable contributions
that immigrants make. For 20 years, I worked as a physicist at Fermi
National Lab in Illinois, and every day the flags from dozens of
countries flew outside the facilities representing the nationalities of
all of the scientists performing experiments at Fermilab.
Thousands of students from other countries have come to the U.S. to
get their Ph.D.s and training at our research facilities, and it has
been the policy of our country to turn most of them away when the work
is done and their education is complete. While this may have made sense
in the years after World War II when we were trying to avoid the brain
drain from countries trying to rebuild themselves, times have changed.
The economic winds are now blowing in both directions, and we need to
stop pushing our accomplished scientists and researchers out of our
country and instead encourage them to stay here and to build
businesses, expand their research, and help grow our economy. The
comprehensive immigration bill passed by the Senate does exactly that:
it encourages the best and brightest scientists and researchers to stay
here and add to our economy and our R&D capabilities.
As we contemplate a pathway to citizenship for the 11 million
undocumented immigrants and consider reforming our legal immigration
system, let's remember all of the contributions that immigrants, past
and present, have made to our country.
Our Nation has a long and proud history of welcoming immigrants in
search of a better life for themselves and their families, but our
current immigration system is broken. We now have a historic
opportunity to bring 11 million people out of the shadows.
We have to remember that at any moment we are just 5 days away from
passing immigration reform and having it be the law of the land. All it
will take is for Speaker Boehner to wake up one morning and listen to
the voices of his church, listen to the voices of the chambers of
commerce, listen to the voices of business and ordinary people all over
this country and decide to bring the Senate immigration bill up for a
vote where it will pass with a bipartisan majority and be signed into
law by the President.
This would be a historic moment and exactly the kind of
bipartisanship that people expect from their elected representatives.
If and when Speaker Boehner decides to act and allow the House a vote
to pass the Senate immigration bill, we could boost our economy,
including our real estate markets, reduce our national debt and, most
importantly, bring 11 million people out of the shadows. We cannot let
this opportunity pass us by.
Mr. CARDENAS. Thank you very much.
Next I would like to yield to Congresswoman Lois Capps.
Congresswoman, both of us are from California, and we've seen the
incredible impact that immigrants have made in our great State of
California. Recognizing those contributions is not a partisan matter
for us in California now, is it?
One thing that I'd like for you to share with us, please, is your
perspective on whether or not this is a partisan issue.
Mrs. CAPPS. I thank my colleague from California, Tony Cardenas. And,
yes, I do have a letter that I will share, but I want to discuss the
matter in general first and thank my colleague for organizing all of us
to be here to address a topic that is of central importance to our
State of California and the entire country.
I join my colleagues in strong support for comprehensive immigration
reform. We honor the many contributions that immigrants have made to
our country during Citizenship Day this week, but we cannot forget the
millions of immigrants left behind by our broken immigration system.
These are the immigrants who contribute to key sectors of our economy.
They are such a vital part of agriculture, housing, manufacturing,
retail, hospitality, tourism, engineering, technology, and on and on.
These are hardworking people, immigrants who often face separation
from their families, lower wages, and face the fear of deportation; and
this forces them to take their skills often to our competitors at
great disadvantage to our own economy. We can all agree that our
current immigration system is not working. It's holding back our
country and our economy, and now is the time to fix it.
While I've been traveling in my congressional district, I've heard
personally from business sectors of our economy on the central coast of
California that are hurt on a daily basis by this broken immigration
system. There are high-tech companies in Goleta, California, frustrated
by seeing many of our brightest UC Santa Barbara graduates being sent
back to their native countries to work for competitive companies and
countries because of a lack of high-skilled worker visas.
I've met with growers in California's agriculture industry who are so
important in my local economy, critical to our national economy, and
who struggle to find a stable and a consistent workforce. This
threatens the sustainability of our crops.
I've met with workforce and labor organizations who want to ensure
workers can earn fair wages and contribute to our economy and our
communities. We must act now to establish a fair, but tough, pathway to
citizenship to provide the security and stability our economy needs.
[[Page H5646]]
I now refer to the chart which indicates so graphically the
difference between a path to legalization only and the strong
advantages of that pathway to citizenship.
Comprehensive reform would boost California's economy alone by $7.3
billion. It would create nearly 77,000 new jobs in our State of
California just next year. This should be one of our Nation's top
priorities.
Mr. Speaker, I would also note for the record that while Members of
my party are very enthusiastic about advancing comprehensive
immigration reform, this is an issue with strong bipartisan support.
For example, the Senate passed comprehensive immigration reform on a
strong bipartisan vote not too long ago, and just last week a number of
Republican members of the California State legislature made their
voices heard on this issue--and that's the letter to which you
referred. They sent a letter to their Federal counterparts urging us to
take action in the House. These are Republican legislators from
California on comprehensive immigration reform. I would like to now
submit this letter into the Record.
This letter outlines components of comprehensive reform that most of
us agree need to be included, that is, the opportunity for undocumented
residents to earn their way to citizenship.
Wisely, the California State Republican legislators wrote--and this
is a quote from their letter:
There is no policy debate more important to the future of
California and of America than passing comprehensive
immigration reform.
I could not agree more.
Mr. Speaker, my colleagues, it is time that we have the opportunity
here on the floor of the United States House of Representatives to
debate and to finally have a vote on comprehensive immigration reform.
Our country, our economy simply cannot wait any longer.
Thank you for the time, my colleague from California.
California State
Republican Legislators
To: California Republican Congressional Delegation:
Doug LaMalfa, 1st District
Tom McClintock, 4th District
Paul Cook, 8th District
Jeff Denham, 10th District
David Valadao, 21st District
Devin Nunes, 22nd District
Kevin McCarthy, 23rd District
Buck McKeon, 25th District
Gary Miller, 31st District
Ed Royce, 39th District
Ken Calvert, 42nd District
John Campbell, 45th District
Dana Rohrabacher, 48th District
Darrell Issa, 49th District
Duncan Hunter, 50th District
We, the undersigned California State legislative
Republicans, strongly support federal comprehensive
immigration reform and urge our state Republican
Congressional delegation to encourage Speaker John Boehner to
call a vote on immigration reform.
Components should include thoughtful and strong border
security, employer sanctions, and opportunity for
undocumented residents to earn their way to full citizenship,
but only behind those who have applied to become citizens
through the current citizenship process.
There is no policy debate more important to the future of
California and America than passing comprehensive immigration
reform. By providing legal clarity to the status of millions
of people in California, we can spur an economic renaissance,
solidify families, and create an entirely new population of
full taxpayers, many of whom who have strong entrepreneurial
and work ethics.
We stand with the business community, the labor community,
farmers, manufacturers, communities of faith, and most
importantly Californians, in our call for Congress to act on
reform this year to put this challenge behind us as a state
and nation. We strongly urge House Republicans to demand a
vote.
While some members in Congress may not support the
legislation, every member deserves the opportunity to vote.
We understand that members have divergent views on reform,
but this is the time to address the many serious issues
immigrants and their employers face every day.
This group of Republican legislators is asking our friends
in business, labor and agriculture, who work with these
immigrants in their fields, homes and factories every day to
join us in asking Congressional Leaders to ``Call the Vote.''
Respectfully,
Senator Anthony Cannella, SD 12; Senator Steve Knight, SD
21; Senator Bill Emmerson, SD 27; Senator Tom Berryhill, SD
14.
Assembly Republican Leader Connie Conway, AD 26;
Assemblymember Jeff Gorell, AD 44; Assemblymember Kristin
Olsen, AD 12; Assemblymember Rocky Chavez, AD 76;
Assemblymember Katcho Achadjian, AD 35; Assemblymember Jim
Patterson, AD 23; Assemblymember Allan Mansoor, AD 74;
Assemblymember Don Wagner, AD 68; Assemblymember Brian
Maienschein, AD 77; Assemblymember Eric Linder, AD 60;
Assemblymember Brian Dahle, AD 1.
Mr. CARDENAS. Thank you very much, Congresswoman Capps.
I now yield to Dr. Raul Ruiz, who represents the southern part of
California, to express some of his understanding of why comprehensive
immigration reform is good for America and good for Americans.
Mr. RUIZ. Mr. Speaker, I thank the good gentleman from California,
Congressman Cardenas.
Immigrants from all over the world have made tremendous contributions
to our society and our economy since the birth of our Nation. Our
immigrant families are an invaluable part of our country.
For far too long, Congress has failed to act on a comprehensive plan
for immigration reform.
I believe that any immigration reform plan would be bipartisan,
secure our borders, uphold the immigration laws we already have,
protect our workers and businesses, and include a pathway to
citizenship for those who work hard and play by the rules.
Passing a commonsense comprehensive immigration reform bill would
lead to an economic boom in the Coachella Valley and across the
country.
Nonpartisan, independent studies have shown that comprehensive
immigration reform will reduce the deficit by nearly $850 billion over
the next 20 years and reduce our Federal debt. It will also increase
economic growth and strengthen our economy by expanding our labor
force, increasing investment, and increasing overall productivity. It
will also provide a significant boost to our tourism and agriculture
sectors, two of the top industries in my district in the Coachella
Valley.
In the Coachella Valley, tourism industries will benefit
substantially from some of the provisions in the bipartisan Senate
bill, like the Visa Waiver Program. Additionally, our U.S. agriculture
output and exports will grow once our farmers have access to the stable
workforce they need.
Comprehensive immigration reform means more jobs and more opportunity
for people in my district and across the country, but only if we act.
I stand ready to work with both Democrats and Republicans toward a
comprehensive immigration system that is rooted in common sense. It is
time to put aside the political games and work together in a bipartisan
effort to address this critical challenge.
Thank you, Congressman Cardenas, for this session.
Mr. CARDENAS. Thank you so much, Congressman Ruiz.
Before I call up our next Congressman from Florida, I'd like to share
a story with everyone, Mr. Speaker, about economics and innovation.
Cesar Millan was born in 1969 in Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico. He grew
up working with animals on his grandfather's farm in Sinaloa.
Young Millan crossed the border in the U.S. without a visa at the age
of 21. He spoke no English and did not know anyone in this country. He
first worked in a dog grooming store working with the most aggressive
dogs that nobody else would want to work with.
Mr. Millan became a permanent resident in the year 2000. He was
focused on rehabilitating especially aggressive dogs and founded the
Dog Psychology Center in south Los Angeles, and he held that center
there from 2002 to 2009, which, in fact, was a business.
He started a television series, ``The Dog Whisperer with Cesar
Millan,'' which was broadcast in more than 80 countries around the
world between 2004 and 2012. The show became National Geographic's
number one show during its first season.
Starting in January 2013, Cesar Millan has hosted another series,
``Cesar Millan's Leader of the Pack.'' Cesar Millan has written three
books, all of which became New York Times bestsellers. In 2009, Cesar
Millan launched ``Cesar's Way'' magazine in the United States and
Canada, which combines advice from Cesar and articles about
relationships between dogs and humans. It is the number one selling dog
magazine in North America.
[[Page H5647]]
{time} 2045
In 2007, Cesar and Ilusion Millan created the Cesar and Ilusion
Millan Foundation, a not-for-profit to aid and support the rescue,
rehabilitation, and placement of abused and abandoned dogs. Cesar
Millan has also supported other projects, including K-9 Connection for
at-risk teens, Pups on Parole for inmates, and It Gets Better that
supports at-risk LGBT youth as well.
I was present in 2009--and it was a proud moment for me and a proud
moment for Cesar Millan and his family--when he raised his hand and was
sworn in as a United States citizen in 2009 in Los Angeles, California.
And I can tell you, his efforts and his contributions to this great
Nation go much further.
While watching television, my wife, Norma, looked at the TV and she
said, You know what, Tony? You need to meet Cesar Millan. He looks like
a good man, and he looks like somebody who can help you create good
legislation for the city of Los Angeles, when I was on the city council
of Los Angeles.
So I invited him to my office, and immediately he said he'd be more
than happy to help me. And as a result of that one meeting, he helped
me create the first spay and neuter program in the largest city in the
United States of America. Now it's the model for cities around the
country. And it was his advice and his expertise that allowed me to do
that.
Los Angeles, for over 20 years, had not prosecuted one person for
cruelty to animals, and it was Cesar Millan who urged me that we need
to put an end to that. And with that, in Los Angeles, I was able to
pass an ordinance that created an animal cruelty task force. And today,
we have prosecuted over 200 individuals with felony charges for cruelty
to animals.
Basically what I'm saying is it was an undocumented immigrant who
came to this country who taught me, an American-born citizen, how I can
take my craft as an elected official to a level that had never been
done before. And it's that kind of example that I believe we have
example after example after example in this country that immigrants who
come to this country, documented or undocumented, seize the opportunity
of the atmosphere that we've created in this great country. And they
are tremendous contributors not only to our economy, but to good
legislation and making our communities a better place.
And now I would like to invite to speak a few words Congressman Joe
Garcia from Florida to share what his perspective on comprehensive
immigration reform means to this country and why it's so important to
our great Nation.
Mr. GARCIA. Mr. Speaker, I have the great opportunity to come from a
community that, in large part, has been built by immigrants. I am the
son of refugees to this great country. And here's what we know:
We know that immigrants add to America's way of life; they create
more opportunity for all; they make our country better; they make
American citizens richer.
Here's what we know:
We know that in the next 10 years, if we find a pathway for
legalization, over $100 billion of additional capital will be added to
our country. What we know is that in the next 20 years, that will be
over $870 billion. In fact, what we know is that they will almost
provide $1 trillion of economic growth over the next 20 years.
It's important to understand that immigrants bolster our country,
make our country better, and they add to it.
I lived in south Florida during very tough times for immigrants. I
remember, as a young man, seeing bumper stickers on the back of cars
that said, ``Would the last American leaving Miami please bring the
flag.'' What I know is that the flag still flies high in Miami. It is a
leading beacon for work and opportunity in our country because people
didn't give up on the dream of our country. They continued to work and
they continued to make a difference.
And that is exactly what we have to understand is that immigrants
bolster our country. They bolster America's private sector by consuming
more goods, more services, providing increased income. All this, in
turn, creates more jobs and greater income for all Americans.
What we know is that by 2022, over 820,000 more workers will be
created because of the need, $321 billion of increased income for all
Americans. The GDP increases by $568 billion if all noncitizens,
undocumented and those illegal residents in the country, were to be
legalized. This is a boon for our country. It creates opportunity. It
makes for a better America.
I thank the gentleman from California for doing this because of
course what he's doing is trying to save this country, to make it
better. There has never been a great country, a great nation in the
history of the world that was shedding citizens. In fact, all great
countries welcome opportunity. They welcome those who come to provide.
We need a comprehensive immigration system not only because we need
more workers, but we need the intellectual capital that they bring. We
need that drive, that vigor that they add to our country. And the fight
for comprehensive immigration reform is one that makes all Americans
better, makes our country richer, and makes opportunity for all,
creating the motto that lives in our country.
So again, I want to thank the gentleman from California for his
efforts. I know he's one of many in the House. And what we do know is
that if a bill came to this floor, it would have majority support. The
Senate passed it, and this House could pass it if the leadership would
allow it to get to the floor.
More than enough of the Members of this Chamber understand the
benefits of immigration, understand that it is necessary for our
country's greatness, and understand that it is what we will do
inevitably. Let's do it now. Let's do it right. Let's get it done.
Mr. CARDENAS. Thank you, Congressman Garcia. I really appreciate that
perspective and your sharing with America those perspectives.
I would like to share another story of someone that I'm friends with
and someone who has a business in my district and also lives in my
district.
Alonso Arellano was born in 1966 in Tijuana, Mexico. He came to
America when he was 10 years old with his mother and stepdad and
brother. His family settled in Huntington Park, California, where his
father worked at a factory job and his mother sold goods to make some
extra money. He had to withdraw from high school in the 10th grade
because of the family's economic hardships and began working to help
support his family. But he had a passion for learning and was
determined to get an education, so he completed high school by taking
night classes while working full-time, and went on to take courses at a
junior college to continue his education.
In 1986, he got married. And when he found out his wife was pregnant
a couple of years later, he began to reevaluate his life and what he
was going to do next for his family. So he joined the United States Air
Force in 1988, where he won the Airman of the Quarter Award three
times, received a commendation medal, and graduated from training with
honors. He was granted the permission to take classes at Eastern New
Mexico University nearby the base where he was stationed, and he
eventually earned a bachelor's degree in physics and a master's degree
in mathematics.
After the war, Alonso applied for and was granted U.S. citizenship,
which opened the door for his future career. When he left the military
in 1994, he began training at UCLA to become a radiation medical
physicist while working part time at UCLA at a cancer research center.
He currently works as a radiation medical physicist at a private
hospital. In addition to that, he owns and runs a restaurant called
Rocio's Mole de los Dioses. And right now, he's planning on opening up
another business, creating jobs for Americans, creating jobs in our
community, our corner of America.
I think it's important for people to understand that immigrants have
such an insatiable appetite to appreciate their surroundings,
appreciate their opportunities, just like Alonso, who had to get out of
school at the 10th grade, who worked full-time, went to night school to
get his education, went on to get a bachelor's degree, a master's
degree, and now is contributing in a health care facility for patients
with cancer, who is actually contributing by opening several businesses
where he employs American citizens.
[[Page H5648]]
I want to thank my colleagues for joining me tonight on this floor to
share the stories of truth and the stories about how important
comprehensive immigration reform is to the economy of America. Once
again, 82,000 more jobs if we allow these new Americans to become
citizens, $568 billion more growth in GDP to the United States economy
if we allow them to become citizens, $75 billion more in revenue to
local States and governments if we allow them to become citizens, $321
billion of growth in dollars in the pockets of American families that
will be spent throughout our communities in America.
As I close, I would like to thank NALEO, NCLR, and countless other
businesses, chambers, labor, civil rights, religious, and law
enforcement organizations, individuals who are continuing to push for
the truth, to push Congress to please have comprehensive immigration
reform meet the floor of both Houses so we can reconcile this, fix our
broken immigration system, and put it on the desk of the President of
the United States, and we will see an economic boon that this country
has not seen for decades.
Americans deserve for us to operate in these Chambers the way we
should, to put aside the partisan bickering, to look at the economic
benefit of every community in our country, to do the right thing, to
live the spirit of what the United States of America portends to be
around the world. We need to start at home and realize that we have 11
million hardworking people in this country who are doing the toughest
jobs, changing the diapers of our children, working in the kitchens of
every nice, wonderful restaurant in America, people who are working
with our grandparents to help them live a better life. Many of those
individuals deserve the opportunity to come out of the shadows, and not
only come out of the shadows, but to contribute to this great Nation
with more economics that we need to see. We have an ailing economy,
ladies and gentlemen. And with that, Mr. Speaker, we will see growth in
America. We will see more Americans go to work if we do the right thing
and pass comprehensive immigration reform.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's been a wonderful hour of truth and
message to the American people, and I hope and pray that in these
Chambers we have the opportunity to vote for comprehensive immigration
reform.
I yield back the balance of my time.
____________________