[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 188 (Tuesday, October 26, 2021)]
[House]
[Page H5911]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       STANDING UP FOR IMMIGRANTS

  (Mr. ESPAILLAT asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. ESPAILLAT. Madam Speaker, I rise on behalf of every single TPS 
holder, DACA recipient, essential worker, and farmworker in this 
country who have pleaded for this Congress to act; not just today, 
Madam Speaker, but for the last 35 years.
  During the pandemic, our Nation's undocumented immigrants rose to the 
occasion. They kept our grocery shelves stocked, packing warehouses 
running, and cleaning and sanitizing businesses, caring for our 
families--particularly our seniors, Madam Speaker--and delivering food 
right to our doorsteps while this country came to a standstill--to a 
halt.
  Our praise and lip service are simply not enough. How can we build 
back better without delivering for those who delivered for us--
literally delivered for us--during this pandemic? Building back better 
means providing real reform for our undocumented neighbors.
  There are about 5 million undocumented immigrants who risked their 
lives during the worst pandemic in our history. They risked their lives 
each and every day, and the countless more that kept this country 
afloat, like our more than 30,000 DACA recipients who stepped up for us 
and worked on the front lines as physicians, residents, nurses, and 
paramedics.
  Madam Speaker, let's stand up for immigrants.

                          ____________________