[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 197 (Tuesday, December 10, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1571-E1572]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                INTRODUCTION OF THE NEW WAY FORWARD ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. JESUS G. ``CHUY'' GARCIA

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 10, 2019

  Mr. GARCIA of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise today to support the 
New Way Forward Act.
  For too long, unjust, anti-immigrant laws including racialized laws 
dating back to the 1920s criminalizing migration and the 1996 laws that 
entangle our civil immigration system with our broken criminal legal 
system have led to overly harsh punishments and the mass 
criminalization of immigrants.
  These laws have resulted in mass incarceration and deportations, 
separation of families, stripping people of due process and 
exacerbating racial animus in both our immigration and criminal legal 
systems.
  We must end the labels of the `good' versus `bad' immigrant used to 
dehumanize and divide communities.

[[Page E1572]]

  At this moment in history, we are called to uphold our values of 
compassion, common humanity, and racial justice.
  I am proud to introduce the New Way Forward Act to disrupt the prison 
to deportation pipeline, give all immigrants the dignity of due 
process, and ensure America remains a nation that welcomes all.
  The bill corrects racial and anti-immigrant injustices embedded in 
our immigration laws, many of which have enabled the Trump 
Administration's inhumane assault on non-citizens in the United States 
and at our southern border.
  Our communities deserve dignity, restoration and repair, not further 
criminalization.
  It's time for a new vision for the future and for our immigration 
system. It's time for a New Way Forward.
  I urge this body to support and pass this bill.

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