[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 40 (Wednesday, March 6, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H2498-H2500]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 3, 2019, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Espaillat) is 
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.
  Mr. ESPAILLAT. Madam Speaker, as the whip of the Congressional 
Hispanic Caucus, I am pleased to lead our second monthly Special Order 
hour.
  Last month, my colleagues and I spoke about the importance of 
comprehensive immigration reform. Since then, the Congressional 
Hispanic Caucus Immigration Task Force, led by Congresswoman Linda 
Sanchez of California, drafted a set of immigration principles, which 
our caucus has now adopted. We plan to use these as a guide as we work 
on developing a comprehensive immigration reform proposal. Chief among 
these principles is a timely path to citizenship for Dreamers and a 
permanent solution for those with temporary protected status and 
deferred and forced departure.
  Democrats made an important commitment to these communities. After a 
failed attempt at a bipartisan solution for Dreamers and TPS recipients 
last year, and again a few weeks ago, we said that if we regained 
control of the House, we would move quickly to fix this. Democrats have 
spent the last few weeks working just on that.
  In particular, two of our CHC colleagues, Congresswoman Lucille 
Roybal-Allard and Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, along with 
Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, have been putting together a proposal that 
will provide overdue needed relief. Their Dream and Promise Act, H.R. 
6, will be introduced next week. We are also grateful for the time and 
effort they have put into this critical legislation.
  That is why we wanted to take this month's CHC's Special Order to 
focus on Dreamers and TPS recipients. These are unique groups within 
our broader immigration community and their current plight--the 
uncertainty of their status--is entirely the fault of President Donald 
Trump and actions he took against them.
  For Dreamers, the American people have heard us talk about them for 
many years, but I think it serves reminding just who those folks are. 
Dreamers are mostly young adults whose parents brought them to this 
country when they were minors. They do not have legal immigration 
status in the United States. They are undocumented, just like I was 
once. They came here through no fault of their own. For the vast 
majority of them, the United States of America is the only country they 
have ever known. A good number of them grew up not even knowing they 
were in immigration limbo and at risk of being deported.
  Some only found out when they applied to college. Just think about 
that, Madam Speaker. You are a young high school student with your 
whole life ahead of you. You have dreams and aspirations for future 
careers and you are excited to take on a new chapter of your life. Then 
one day you find out that you are one of those undocumented folks you 
have been hearing about. There is now a barrier to your ability to get 
a higher education, to get a good job, to establish yourself in our 
society.
  President Obama recognized this injustice and he created a program 
that would give Dreamers relief from deportation, known as the Deferred 
Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA. This gave them some sense of 
certainty, and, most importantly, it gave them the legal status they 
needed to pursue an education and career, to buy a home, and begin 
raising a family.
  Nearly 800,000 individuals across the country receive DACA, and 
thousands more were still eligible. But President Trump abruptly chose 
to end the program as part of his anti-immigrant policies. Not only is 
this cruel and unjust, it is economic malpractice.

  According to the Center for American Progress, ending DACA will cost 
our GDP $460 billion. Let me say that again, Madam Speaker. Ending DACA 
will cost our GDP $460 billion. That is because it will mean removing 
685,000 workers out of the workforce.
  If President Trump wants to promote economic growth, as he says, then 
why would he make such a horrible decision? I leave it up to the 
American people to sort out that mystery. Perhaps they can do it at the 
ballot box in a couple of years.
  TPS recipients. Now, what is worse, Madam Speaker, is that Dreamers 
aren't the only group President Trump has decided to throw into legal 
limbo.

[[Page H2499]]

Over the course of his 2 years in office, the President has ended also 
temporary protected status. I know you know that very well, Madam 
Speaker, because you represent the State of Florida.
  For thousands of individuals, the temporary protected status has been 
attempted to end. TPS is an incredibly important program. It allows 
individuals to stay and remain in the United States for an extended 
period of time if some emergency erupts in their home country that 
prevents them from being able to return. TPS has been using cases of 
severe natural disasters, as well as armed conflict.
  Only a few countries have been granted TPS. The program is so 
important because it allows these people, who would otherwise be in 
limbo for an unknown amount of time, to live their lives here in the 
United States, giving them the ability to work and establish 
themselves. Some countries have been designated under TPS for many, 
many years and are still not safe for individuals to return back home.
  That is why it has been routinely extended by Presidents of both 
parties. This is not a Republican or a Democratic program. Presidents 
of both parties have extended TPS.
  TPS holders are established members of our communities. They are 
workers, they are homeowners, they are our neighbors and they have 
children and families that have built their lives here. They deserve to 
stay, Madam Speaker.
  And the truth is our economy really needs them. More than 300,000 
individuals are currently beneficiaries of TPS, but they account for 
more than $10 billion in spending power in our economy according to 
CAP. They pay local, State, and Federal taxes. Once more, so many TPS 
holders are the parents or relatives of thousands of U.S. citizen 
children, children who deserve to have their families stay together.
  In conclusion, Madam Speaker, families belong together. Whether they 
are separated at our border, whether they came here with a young child 
who only recently learned he or she was undocumented, whether they 
cannot return to a nation that is not able to receive them, they 
deserve to stay together, and they deserve to remain here in the United 
States, the place they now call home.
  During the rest of this hour, you will hear from a number of CHC 
colleagues from across the country about how important Dreamers and TPS 
recipients are to their respective districts, how these hardworking 
individuals are part of the very fabric of communities they represent. 
I look forward to hearing from them and sharing their stories with you, 
Madam Speaker.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to my colleague from the State of Illinois 
(Mr. Garcia) whose State is home to nearly 3,000 TPS holders and more 
than 42,000 DACA recipients. The GDP law, if DACA were to be removed, 
is $413 million, and TPS spending power in that State is $91.7 million.
  Mr. GARCIA of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague, 
Representative Espaillat, for organizing this important hour to share 
the stories of those living in fear as a result of the actions of this 
administration.
  As a proud immigrant and representative of a Chicago district that is 
over one-third foreign born, I know and understand the need for a 
permanent solution to the status of immigrants in this country. We are 
long overdue for legislation that provides a path to citizenship for 
those with uncertain status.
  Madam Speaker, there are more than 11 million individuals, including 
children, living in the U.S. who are currently undocumented. Of those, 
there are over 3.6 million Dreamers, children who entered the U.S. 
before their 18th birthday, and over 1.8 million children eligible for 
deferred action because they were brought to the U.S. before their 16th 
birthday.
  Too many live in constant fear as a result of the cruel policies of 
this administration.

                              {time}  1945

  In Illinois alone, there are almost 40,000 individuals enrolled in 
the deferred action program, but this issue affects entire families, 
including those in mixed-status families.
  There are about 800,000 people in Illinois alone in families with at 
least one undocumented family member. I want to share a story of a 
Dreamer, like Beatriz, who is a constituent in my district, who came to 
this country at the age of 6.
  Like many, her parents brought her seeking refuge from hunger, 
poverty, and the violent drug wars ravaging Mexico and Central America. 
Despite the toughest odds, Beatriz graduated from the Illinois 
Institute of Technology with no financial aid and working a full-time 
job.
  Dreamers like Beatriz, if given the opportunity, are incredible 
assets to our country, not a drain. We should welcome hardworking 
immigrants like Beatriz and not make it harder for them to succeed and, 
in turn, grow our economy and enrich the cultural riches that makes 
America great.
  In Beatriz's own words: ``While I am always in fear of deportation, I 
am not afraid to work or to study.''
  As an immigrant myself, I empathize with Beatriz and her story.
  Let me be clear: Putting Dreamers and TPS beneficiaries on a pathway 
to citizenship is just one of the many steps that we must take to undo 
the damage the Trump Administration has done.
  The current legal immigration system is broken, creating decades-long 
delays for family reunifications and exacerbating workforce gaps that 
harm our economy.
  We cannot continue to turn a blind eye to over 11 million 
undocumented people in our country who live and work in fear and in the 
shadows.
  Immigrants--many of them are undocumented--are our teachers, 
engineers, your law enforcement officers. We are your firefighters, 
your plumbers, and your doctors. In some lucky instances, we are even 
your Representatives in Washington.
  These are people who contribute every day to our country, and it is 
time we act now to reasonable pathways to citizenship for these 
hardworking people.
  Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York for yielding in 
order to share Beatriz's story.
  Mr. ESPAILLAT. Madam Speaker, let me just share some numbers with you 
from respective States across the country.
  The number of TPS holders, for example, in the State of California, 
over 50,000 of them; in your home State of Florida, Madam Speaker, over 
44,000 of them; in Illinois, close to 3,000 of them; in Massachusetts, 
over 5,000 of them; in New Mexico, no data, but fewer than 1,500; in 
New York, over 25,000 of them; in Texas, over 46,000 of them.
  And the children living with these TPS recipients are, in California, 
over 43,000; in Florida, again, over 37,000; in Massachusetts, over 
3,000; in New York, over 23,000; and in Texas, 49,000 children are 
living with TPS recipients.
  DACA recipients are also in large numbers. In the State of 
California, you have close to 223,000 DACA recipients; in Florida, 
close to 33,000 recipients; in Illinois, Madam Speaker, you have close 
to 43,000 DACA recipients; in New York, 41,000.
  So these are huge numbers for people who are so important to the 
fabric of our country, and that is why we are here to support them, 
because families that stay together are stronger together. When a 
family is divided, our Nation is weaker; when our family is together, 
our Nation is stronger.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to my colleague from Florida (Ms. Mucarsel-
Powell), whose State is the home State to 45,000 TPS recipients and 
nearly 33,000 DACA recipients
  Ms. MUCARSEL-POWELL. Mr. Speaker, DACA recipients are our neighbors. 
They are entrepreneurs, college graduates, educators, and healthcare 
providers.
  DACA recipients are helping our country lead in science, technology, 
and medicine. Jorge Cortes is one those DACA recipients.
  Jorge came to the United States from Colombia when he was a teenager. 
Despite his undocumented status, Jorge worked hard. He contributed to 
his community and eventually graduated from Florida International 
University.
  After graduating, he quickly established himself as an entrepreneur 
in Miami's technology and social innovation sector, eventually 
employing upwards of 15 people. For his entrepreneurship and 
leadership, Jorge was awarded the keys to both Miami-Dade County and 
the city of Miami.

[[Page H2500]]

  A path to citizenship for DACA and TPS recipients like Jorge, would 
add $1.2 billion, annually, to Florida's economy.
  In our discussions about DACA, immigration reform, and the economy, 
it is easy to forget that DACA recipients are also people. DACA isn't 
just the right thing to do for our economy, it is the moral thing to 
do. It is time that our immigration system treats all of them as 
people, too.
  Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, as has been said here tonight, bringing 
relief, permanent relief to DACA recipients and TPS beneficiaries must 
not be delayed. Comprehensive immigration reform cannot continue to be 
delayed.
  That is why I am so happy, as I mentioned earlier, that in a week or 
two, H.R. 6, the Dream and Promise Act, which promises to bring about 
comprehensive immigration reform in many ways for DACA recipients and 
TPS recipients and other immigrants, will hit this floor.
  We are hoping that all our colleagues from both sides of the aisle 
will recognize that this is an important effort to finally bring over 
800,000 young people permanently to the United States, young people who 
are teachers, nurses, police offers, members of our Armed Forces. They 
are business owners. They purchase their own homes, in many cases. 
These are important members of our communities across the country, and 
we must allow them to stay in the United States of America.

  TPS recipients, many of them cannot return back to dangerous settings 
in their homeland. Many of them, their countries are reeling from 
natural disasters. It would be a travesty if we send them back home. 
They must be allowed to stay here in the United States of America. This 
is an important moment in our time.
  Families that stay together are stronger; families that are divided 
are weaker. Our country is made stronger when a family is together. 
That is why I am asking all in this Chamber from both sides of the 
aisle, next week, to support H.R. 6, the Dream and Promise Act, which 
will finally bring relief to many, many young people and undocumented 
people from this Nation, as well as TPS recipients will finally breathe 
some fresh air and be able to stay here in this great Nation.
  Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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