[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 82 (Thursday, May 29, 2014)]
[House]
[Page H4915]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    CONSTITUENTS FACING DEPORTATION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Gutierrez) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GUTIERREZ. Mr. Speaker, like a lot of Americans, I spent time 
traveling this past holiday weekend, but I never made it to the beach. 
Instead, I did what I do on a lot of weekends, which is travel the 
country building support for comprehensive immigration reform.
  I attended immigration events in Orange County and Riverside County 
in California, and, yesterday, I was in Richmond, Virginia, in the 
majority leader's backyard, listening to his constituents plead for 
congressional action.
  One young lady told her story perfectly in two languages. She came to 
the United States when she was 6. Now she has deferred action and 
temporary protection from deportation but wants a permanent solution 
for herself and her U.S. citizen sister. Another woman, a mom of two 
U.S. citizen children, wore a GPS anklet bracelet to the event and 
asked me how I could help her keep her family together. She has an 
order of deportation for June 6.
  They were pleading with the majority leader--who holds the key to the 
schedule and the calendar in the House--to please schedule a vote, just 
a simple vote on immigration reform. So far, he has refused to allow a 
vote.
  The stories from his constituents were heartbreaking: moms whose only 
wish is to remain here and raise their U.S. children and not fear a 
deportation date or a knock on the door at dawn. Children want their 
moms and dads to be here to see them achieve the American Dream.
  But I have to say that I had a heavy heart even before I arrived at 
the State capitol building in Richmond, Virginia, yesterday. The night 
before, I received a call letting me know that the White House intended 
to announce yesterday that it wasn't going to take action on Homeland 
Security Secretary Jeh Johnson's review of deportation policies.
  Therefore, for the next several months, the deportations will 
continue at a rate of 1,100 a day. Moms with U.S. citizen children, 
women with 25 years in this country and who have committed no crimes 
will get no relief in the short run.
  I have talked extensively with Secretary Johnson and had no illusions 
that a major policy announcement was in the works. Rather there are, I 
think, some enforcement adjustments that can be made now that would 
spare thousands from counterproductive deportations that are doing more 
harm than good to our Nation.
  I am deeply disappointed that the President chose to delay any 
action, and I know that many of us who have been fighting against the 
deportations that needlessly break up families and leave communities 
living in fear are also disappointed.
  And as I heard the stories of the constituents of the majority leader 
who are facing their own deportation or deportation of a loved one, I 
realized that it would be harder to save them in the coming weeks and 
months without some kind of policy adjustments revealed by the 
Secretary's review.
  While the Republican majority decides whether or not they will act on 
immigration reform and solve an important American problem, thousands 
more will be deported.
  But I also understand what the President is trying to do. He is 
saying that he still has hope that the Republicans are not just playing 
games with immigration policy. He believes, as I do, that Republicans 
still could use the last 14 legislative days before July 4 to make a 
real difference in the lives of moms and kids that I met yesterday in 
Richmond, Virginia.
  The excuse that House Republicans can't trust President Obama to 
enforce the law and therefore they will not pass immigration reform, 
that excuse no longer holds water, if it ever did. Yesterday, President 
Obama expended a great deal of political capital to give House 
Republicans time and space to come up with an immigration solution. It 
was a grand gesture on the part of the President. I know that I and a 
lot of my Democratic colleagues are not happy, and many in organized 
labor and in the pro-immigrant movement that have fought hard for 
policies to dial back the deportations are very, very saddened. It is 
not easy for a President to so fully and boldly stand up against his 
base, against those of us who have voted for him, loved him, and 
protected him, but he did it so that House Republicans could use the 
following weeks to take action on immigration reforms, House 
Republicans who have shown him nothing but disdain.
  In reality, for those families facing deportation and losing their 
children who live in the majority leader's district, they know that 
both the majority leader and the President have the power to help keep 
them in the United States and protected with their children.
  The majority leader can schedule a vote, and the President can use 
his pen and his phone to spare these families from what amounts to a 
life sentence. And of one thing I am confident: if the majority leader 
fails to act, the President will, and he will do so boldly.
  To my House Republican colleagues, I say, please act. The country 
will thank you. The children and the moms that live in your districts 
and fear deportations will thank you, and your voters will thank you. 
You have 14 days to work this out.

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