[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 33 (Thursday, February 27, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H2003-H2004]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           IMMIGRATION REFORM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Gutierrez) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GUTIERREZ. Mr. Speaker, before I begin, I would like to enter 
into the Record this article written by Reverends Eason, Goodroe, and 
Castillo, all three of Spartanburg, South Carolina, who wrote an 
article that appeared Tuesday in the Greenville, South Carolina, News 
entitled, ``God Often Reminds Us to Welcome the Stranger.''
  Mr. Speaker, yesterday I participated in another do-nothing Judiciary 
Committee hearing in this do-nothing Congress. This do-nothing hearing 
was unique. The goal was to make sure that the President was a do-
nothing President as well.
  It is not enough for the Republican majority to be setting records 
for how little they are doing. No. Ignoring immigration reform is bad 
enough--let alone the minimum wage, unemployment benefits, and the 
environment.
  So the do-nothing Congress held a hearing yesterday entitled, 
``Enforcing the President's Constitutional Duty to Faithfully Execute 
the Laws.'' The intent was clear: attack the President. It was held in 
the Judiciary Committee, which has jurisdiction over immigration, so 
there was lots of discussion about deferred action for DREAMers. This 
is where the President has exercised his power of prosecutorial 
discretion to temporarily suspend the deportation of people who came 
here to the U.S. as children.
  Apparently, when the President stood just over there last month and 
delivered his State of the Union address, saying he would use his pen 
and phone to take executive action where the Congress was taking no 
action--well, that didn't go over well with this do-nothing Congress.
  Look, I know it is easier for Republicans to blame Democrats and 
blame Obama and make excuses for why they can't do immigration reform 
this year. You have to keep it connected to reality. You put your 
principles for immigration reform on the table. You call them 
``standards.'' And there were some things I liked and some things I 
didn't. But what I said was: Good. Thank you. It's a nice start. Let's 
sit down and talk some more.
  Nancy Pelosi and the leadership of the Democratic rank and file in 
the House said: Good. Great starting point. Let's talk some more.
  And the President you don't trust said: Good. It's a great starting 
point. Let's negotiate.
  How did the Republicans respond? When Democrats said: Yes, let's 
talk; the Republicans said: No, just kidding. Immigration reform is 
hard. We would rather just talk about how awful it is that people are 
getting health care through ObamaCare.
  You put something on the table, we say let's talk, and you say no, 
and then blame Democrats for blocking immigration. It makes no sense.
  Questioning whether the President has the power to stop the 
deportation of immigrants who came here as children and have lived here 
practically their whole lives in the U.S., what are you thinking? The 
President not only has the power to suspend those deportations, he has 
the duty to suspend those deportations.
  So here we are, with the entire country demanding reform of our 
immigration system, demanding we change our law. We see the parents of 
U.S. citizen children being deported and their children put in foster 
care. And we say there's got to be a better way to handle this 
situation that is good for the taxpayer, good for the immigrant family, 
good for our economy, and national security.
  House Republicans see the situation and apparently say: No, we refuse 
to change the law because it is hard and we don't trust the President. 
And because the law is the law, we must deport them all.
  When I and anyone else with a conscience looks at that American child 
being put in foster care because we have deported his parents and he 
looks at you doing nothing, we say something has to be done because it 
is the right thing to do from a moral perspective.
  So, let me be clear, Mr. President, if you act to suspend the 
deportation of a person whose American child will be put in foster 
care, I will applaud you and so will most everyone on this side of the 
aisle. It will not only be us applauding. The three evangelical leaders

[[Page H2004]]

who wrote the essay I entered into the Record, all three important 
religious leaders from Spartanburg, South Carolina, this is how they 
put it:

       Immigration reform is an urgent need--inaction carries a 
     profound human cost and we consistently see this in our 
     ministries.
       Hardworking, contributing members of our society live in 
     constant fear of deportation. The victimization of 
     individuals and families goes unreported, and families are 
     torn apart as American-citizen children lose one or both of 
     their parents to deportation proceedings.

  They add:

       We stand at a critical crossroads. Our broken and 
     antiquated immigration system has precipitated an economic 
     and moral crisis that we can ignore no longer.

  Listen to your church elders. While you do nothing, the number on the 
board behind me continues to increase and the deportation machine 
continues.
  If you don't, I and millions of others across this land will continue 
insisting that the President exercise his authority to stop deportation 
and separation of American families. We will force the President to 
act, and I assure you we will win that fight.

               [From the Greenville News, Feb. 22, 2014]

               God Often Reminds Us to Welcome Immigrants

            (By Ricky Eason, Jim Goodroe, and Greg Castillo)

       Late last month, House Republicans released standards that 
     will guide their efforts as they move forward on immigration 
     reform. As evangelical leaders, we join voices from the 
     business and law enforcement communities to strongly support 
     this step.
       We applaud any progress toward a solution for one of our 
     nation's most complex and critical issues. With President 
     Barack Obama's comments in the State of the Union address, 
     Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers' mention in her 
     Republican response, and now the release of these standards, 
     bipartisan support for immigration reform is clear.
       In a time of bitter division and partisan politics, we call 
     on our nation's leaders to transcend their differences and 
     pass commonsense, broad reform that will strengthen our 
     economy, make our nation safer, and give our undocumented 
     neighbors an opportunity to come out of the shadows and earn 
     legal status.
       As faith leaders who call ourselves ``The Three Amigos,'' 
     we represent the three largest ethnic groups in South 
     Carolina. Although we come from communities with different 
     cultural and political perspectives, we stand united in our 
     Christian commitment to share the Gospel with all peoples 
     (Matthew: 28:19), welcome and love the strangers in our midst 
     (Leviticus 19:34, Matthew 25:31-46), and seek justice in our 
     communities (Isaiah 1:17).
       Throughout Scripture, God continually reminds His people to 
     love and welcome the immigrants in their midst. As people who 
     arrive to a strange place with no land, family or 
     connections, immigrants are some of the most vulnerable 
     people in any given community. For this reason, they 
     consistently join widows and orphans in the Biblical ``triad 
     of the vulnerable'' that God desires to protect (Exodus 
     22:21-22).
       In our combined 60 years of ministry in the Upstate of 
     South Carolina, we have served and ministered to immigrants 
     from all over the world, documented and undocumented. While 
     undocumented immigrants are often mischaracterized or used 
     abstractly in political arguments, we know these people 
     personally as our neighbors, friends, and brothers and 
     sisters. Immigration reform is an urgent need--inaction 
     carries a profound human cost that we consistently see in our 
     ministries.
       Hardworking and contributing members of our society live in 
     constant fear of deportation, the victimization of 
     individuals and families goes unreported, and families are 
     torn apart as American-citizen children lose one or both 
     parents to deportation proceedings. Striking a middle ground 
     between the extreme positions of mass deportation and open 
     borders, we join with House Republicans in advocating for a 
     middle ground where those without documentation can come out 
     of the shadows, make restitution, and get right with the law.
       Such an approach is very different from amnesty, which is 
     the absence of legal consequences. Instead, this realistic 
     approach would allow undocumented immigrants to admit 
     culpability and pay their debt to society without separating 
     or harming families or causing undue harm to our nation's 
     economy.
       We stand at a critical crossroads. Our broken and 
     antiquated immigration system has precipitated an economic 
     and moral crisis that we can ignore no longer. The Republican 
     standards moved us one step closer to a solution that will 
     protect the border, help grow our economy, and provide an 
     opportunity for undocumented immigrants to earn legal status 
     and fully participate in our communities.
       The time for further action is now. Congress needs to 
     overcome its doubts, and keep moving toward the legislation 
     that is so desperately needed.
       We join other evangelical leaders from across the country 
     in reaffirming our commitment to earnestly pray for Congress 
     and for immigration reform in 2014.

                          ____________________