[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 30 (Thursday, February 15, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H1203-H1204]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              IMMIGRATION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 3, 2017, the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Gallego) is recognized 
for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.
  Mr. GALLEGO. Madam Speaker, in June, seven American heroes died on a 
dark night when a ship collided with an American destroyer, the USS 
Fitzgerald. Among the dead were immigrants from Vietnam and the 
Philippines, as well as sons of workers who journeyed north from 
Guatemala.
  As one of the sailors who survived explained: You are crammed in with 
all sorts of cultures on the ship, but when you are on the Fitzgerald, 
you are family.
  Just like the Fitzgerald, my unit in Iraq included men of many races 
and religions. We were a family, too, and it made us stronger.
  Madam Speaker, what is true of our military is also true of our 
country. Lots of nations have democratic institutions, plenty of 
countries have good schools, and all too many, as we know, wield 
powerful weapons; but what makes America great, what makes America 
powerful, and what makes America America is that, since our founding, 
we have thrown our doors open to the world, and we have kept them open 
to the strivers and the dreamers from every corner of the globe.

  We didn't become the greatest, most powerful country in the world 
because we let in a certain group of people and then slammed the door 
behind them. No, Madam Speaker, we built this country by making America 
the only country in the world where anyone from anywhere can accomplish 
anything.
  President Reagan may have summed it up best when he explained that:

  You can go to Japan to live but you cannot become Japanese. You can 
go to France to live and not become a

[[Page H1204]]

Frenchman. Anyone can come to America to live and become an American.

  Unfortunately, our current President and his friends in Congress want 
to turn their backs on what made America great. Their anti-immigrant 
agenda will lead to the deportation of millions and drastic cuts in 
legal immigration.
  The last time Congress restricted immigration in this way was almost 
100 years ago. Back then, conservatives were worried that there were 
too many Italians and Jews who were arriving on our shores. Now, they 
are concerned about Mexican, Nigerian, and Chinese immigrants. The 
rhetoric may have shifted, the targets may have changed, but it is the 
same kind of backward, un-American thinking that existed then.
  The American people are too smart for this. We don't fear people who 
don't speak like us or look like us or even pray the way we do. Time 
and time again, we have rejected the racists and the nativists of this 
country. We have done it before, and we will do it again.
  Madam Speaker, I don't have to look at the polls to tell you that 
there are a lot more Americans like Aaron Chamberlin from Phoenix than 
like Donald Trump.
  Aaron is a restaurant owner in Phoenix. When he learned that a young 
prep chef named Suny Santana was undocumented, Aaron said Suny could 
stay as long as he found a way to fix his undocumented status.
  Thankfully, Suny qualified for DACA. He worked hard and thrived. In 
fact, he did so well that Aaron offered to partner with him in opening 
his very own new restaurant in downtown Phoenix. But then, cruelly and 
without warning, President Trump terminated DACA and stripped away 
Suny's status, throwing his entire life into limbo.
  Democrats are fighting for Dreamers like Suny and for businessowners 
like Aaron who believe in them.
  We are also fighting for veterans like Miguel Perez of Chicago. 
Miguel has lived in this country since he was 8 years old. He served 
two tours in Afghanistan and suffers from PTSD as a result of his 
service. Unfortunately, as is too often the case with us, this led to 
problems with addiction. Miguel deserves our support. Instead, he is 
facing deportation.
  As I speak, Miguel is currently sitting in an ICE detention center in 
Kenosha, Wisconsin, which happens to be in the district of our Speaker, 
Paul Ryan.
  Miguel isn't alone. Hundreds of immigrants who served our country in 
uniform could now be deported at the behest of a President who has 
never served one day in service to this country. These are men and 
women who took an oath to protect and defend this Nation. They have 
earned the right to call this country home. They have earned the right 
to call themselves Americans. To deport these brave men and women after 
they have fought under our flag dishonors the service of all of us who 
risked our lives for this country.
  We must find a way to protect Dreamers and immigrant families, 
including brave immigrants who served in uniform. The American people 
are on our side. They know that Trump's fearful vision for our future 
is incompatible with who we are as Americans. They are proud to live in 
a country that attracts the brightest minds and the hardest workers 
from all around the world. They understand that exclusion and hate are 
the exact opposite of what makes America America.
  This Nation did not become great by kicking out immigrants who fight 
hard like Miguel or who dream big like Suny. Unlike every other country 
on Earth, we aren't defined by where we come from, but we are defined 
by what we believe.
  Donald Trump may not understand that, but the American people do.
  Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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