[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 195 (Thursday, November 30, 2017)]
[House]
[Page H9520]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            RECOGNIZING SOUTH FLORIDA'S HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in recognition of the Jewish 
Community Services of South Florida and the second generation of Miami-
Dade Holocaust Survivors. Together, these two organizations will join 
forces to hold a Cafe Europa, a function that honors Holocaust 
survivors and their families. The name ``Cafe Europa'' is derived from 
a small lounge in Stockholm. Here, survivors from liberated 
concentration camps would search for family and friends after the war, 
share stories and experiences, and begin to rebuild their lives.
  Today, the practice remains strong in its commitment to bring 
survivors together, where they can share insight and thoughts on topics 
surrounding our world today.
  Cafe Europa also allows us to honor these individuals and gain vital 
knowledge about this dark period in history.
  This event this year will be held at the Aventura Turnberry Jewish 
Center on Sunday, December 3, at 11:30. My constituents David and Irene 
Mermelstein, Herbie Karliner, Joe Sacks, Alex Gross, David Schaeter, 
and Wendy Rothfield will attend this important event. Holocaust 
survivors will share stories, grieve over loved ones lost, and recommit 
that these horrendous days of our history that they survived will never 
again be repeated.
  Mr. Speaker, we must cherish the time that we have left with these 
brave souls, to listen and to learn about their tragic stories, stories 
that must be passed along to future generations about this brutal 
period of injustice, and ensure that no such tyranny ever happens 
again.


      Congress Must Act on a Legislative Solution for Our DREAMers

  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, as we quickly approach the month of 
December, we are reminded of the very few legislative days left on this 
calendar to debate and pass a permanent solution to protect our 
Nation's DREAMers from deportation.
  I introduced, along with my dear friend, my colleague, Lucille 
Roybal-Allard, H.R. 3440, also known as the Dream Act, to allow over 
800,000 young immigrants living in our great country to remain here, 
the only home that they have truly known.
  This bill will allow DREAMers to apply for conditional permanent 
residency, and eventually to citizenship. Each day of inaction by our 
body to pass the Dream Act or any legislative fix is a loss for our 
communities and our country.
  Study after study demonstrates the reality that we already know: that 
failure to provide a solution for our DREAMers will result in hundreds 
of billions of dollars lost in GDP, a truly devastating blow to our 
economy.
  The business community, faith leaders, colleges and universities, 
advocacy groups, all have joined a large bipartisan coalition standing 
behind these young immigrants, and that is because they recognize the 
positive contributions of these individuals, contributions that should 
not be imperiled by their legal status.
  But they are looking at us, Mr. Speaker. They are looking at 
Congress. It is up to us. It is up to you and me and our colleagues on 
both sides of the aisle to act. It is our responsibility, and we must 
not delay action any longer. These individuals who came to this country 
as children only want an opportunity to attend school, to work, to 
provide for their families.
  Mr. Speaker, this Nation, our Nation, was born and continues to be 
built and made stronger by immigrants like these DREAMers, willing and 
determined not only to realize their dreams, but truly to love, serve, 
and protect this land with all of their hearts.
  That is precisely why we must act now. This Chamber cannot and should 
not stand idly by while these young immigrants, who are already as 
American as anyone else in their hearts and their minds, live under 
fear and uncertainty in this country, a country that is a beacon of 
hope and a land of opportunity to those who seek it.
  The lives of hundreds of thousands of bright, talented, and patriotic 
young men and women depend on us, on this Congress. It is up to us to 
rise to the challenge to legalize the status of these DREAMers so they 
can truly make their dreams into a reality.

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