[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 206 (Monday, December 31, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1741]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 FIXING THE HARMFUL EFFECTS OF THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION'S UN-AMERICAN 
                          IMMIGRATION POLICIES

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BARBARA LEE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, December 31, 2018

  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as an elected representative, but 
also as a mother--a mother who is horrified and outraged by the actions 
taken by the Trump Administration to deliberately separate families.
  Like any mother, I love my children and cannot imagine being 
separated from them. But because of the Trump Administration's 
policies, some mothers have no choice.
  Just this week, I have been working to reunite two mothers in my 
community who were prevented from reuniting with their families.
  The first story I want to share is of Maria Mendoza-Sanchez. Maria 
has lived with her family in the East Bay for more than two decades. 
She and her husband Eusebio raised four beautiful children, worked 
hard, and purchased a home in Oakland.
  Maria went to school while raising small children and went on to 
become a nurse at Highland Hospital. She was beloved by her patients 
and her colleagues.
  Maria and Eusebio tried to do the right thing. They paid their taxes 
and came forward to legalize their immigration status. And for years, 
they were on a path to citizenship.
  But like many families, Maria and Eusebio's efforts did not matter to 
the Trump Administration.
  Under President Trump's misguided enforcement priorities, Maria and 
Eusebio were targeted for deportation.
  And last summer--after more than twenty years building a life in our 
community--Maria and Eusebio were torn from their children and deported 
to Mexico.
  But over the last sixteen months, we didn't give up. We kept working 
to reunite Maria with her family--to bring her home.
  Finally, after more than a year of work, we were able to secure an 
H1-B visa for Maria. And this past Sunday, I was honored and overjoyed 
to join Maria as she was reunited with her children.
  But Maria isn't the only mother torn from her children by President 
Trump's immigration policies.
  Also in the news this week was the story of Shaima, whose son 
Abdullah Hassan has been on life support at Children's Hospital 
Oakland, in my district.
  Abdullah is two years old and suffers from a genetic brain condition. 
His mother Shaima, who was born in Yemen, has been barred from 
travelling to the United States to be with her son because of the Trump 
Administration's un-American Muslim ban.
  Abdullah doesn't have much time left--and Shaima feared that she 
would not be able to say goodbye to her young son.
  Mr. Speaker--is this really who we are? A country that denies mothers 
safe passage to be with their dying children?
  No family should ever have to endure this.
  And in the face of such unimaginable cruelty, I am proud to say that 
our community stepped up. I want to thank everyone who showed up, who 
protested and organized and petitioned for this outcome.
  Because of your advocacy, the State Department granted a visa waiver 
to Shaima so she can be with her son. She will be able to be with her 
son, to hug him and to say goodbye.
  But we know that there are many other people like Maria and Shaima 
who remain separated from their families.
  When I went down to the border earlier this year, I saw the prison-
like conditions that they were keeping children in.
  There were kids sleeping on concrete floor--with only thin emergency 
blankets to keep them warm.
  And to this very day, there are hundreds of children in HHS custody. 
And Secretary Nielson can't tell us when they will be reunited.
  Let's be clear: this isn't an immigration policy. This is a family 
separation policy.
  Children torn from their mothers, parents deported away from their 
kids. And it's up to Congress to stop it.
  It's past time for us to restore--justice, dignity and common sense 
to this immigration system.
  We need to ensure kids who have lived here their entire lives--like 
Maria's oldest daughter--can make a life in the only country they have 
ever known.
  We need to get this disgraceful, discriminatory travel ban off the 
books, so no loved one has to experience what Shaima went through.
  We need to pass comprehensive immigration reform so that people like 
Maria and Eusebio can come out of the shadows.
  Mr. Speaker--for every case like Maria's or Shaima's there are dozens 
more left unresolved.
  Countless families have been left in limbo, unsure if or when they 
will ever see their loved ones again.
  Not only do we owe it to these families to fix our broken immigration 
system--we owe it to the country and the constitution to live up to 
American values.

                          ____________________