[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 79 (Wednesday, May 10, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H2179-H2180]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              NEW YORK CITY'S EFFORTS TO WELCOME MIGRANTS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Espaillat) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. ESPAILLAT. Madam Speaker, New York City is again serving its 
traditional role as a beacon of light of opportunity for this Nation 
when it comes to the humane and just treatment of asylum seekers.

[[Page H2180]]

  Madam Speaker, that lady still stands at the harbor telling us: 
``Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be 
free.'' That message is heard across the country. My family heard that 
message.
  Madam Speaker, I am sure that even across the country in California, 
your family heard this message, a tremendous message that is at the 
very center of America, at the heart of America.
  Last spring, in an act of political theater, Republican Governors 
began transporting asylum seekers to New York City and other cities 
across the country. In response, New Yorkers have welcomed them because 
this is America. They reaffirmed our commitment to ensuring that the 
American Dream is available for all those who want to seek it and want 
to make their case before government.
  We should allow people to come and make their case before our 
government, and then we will determine whether or not they can remain 
in our country.

  Since last spring, my city has welcomed over 60,000 new New Yorkers 
who are seeking asylum in our country. I congratulate and thank Mayor 
Eric Adams for his remarkable leadership in taking on this great 
challenge.
  Over the past year, New York City has opened up eight new 
humanitarian response and relief centers and 122 emergency shelters. 
These shelters are currently providing over 37,000 asylum seekers with 
beds while their cases are being processed.
  However, New York City cannot do it alone. We must get the help of 
FEMA. This is why I and New York City's congressional delegation fought 
so hard to secure nearly $40 million for much-needed Federal funding.
  New York is a proud right-to-shelter city. It requires the city to 
provide asylum seekers with shelter, along with their families.
  This week, I led a letter by the congressional delegation of our city 
to FEMA to oversee the immediate release of an additional $360 million 
in shelter and services funds. We must get that aid.
  Madam Speaker, I will address another issue, the weaponization of 
immigration. Every day, right on this floor, we hear some of our 
colleagues weaponize immigration for political purposes, particularly 
during election season. We hear them weaponize this issue to try to 
score some cheap political points.
  They try to say that it is the moms who walked for thousands of miles 
with their children fleeing violence that are carrying fentanyl and 
other dangerous drugs when, in fact, all the evidence from law 
enforcement shows us that those drugs are being transported through the 
ports of entry.
  Madam Speaker, let's invest in making our ports of entry stronger and 
safer so that these dangerous drugs, weapons, and human trafficking do 
not continue to occur.

                              {time}  1030

  This political theater of weaponizing immigration must stop. It 
divides the Nation, it makes us look foolish across the world, and it 
diminishes us as a beacon of hope and opportunity that has that lady 
still on the harbor.
  Madam Speaker, I encourage New York and other places in need of 
funding for asylum seekers to apply for a variety of benefits made 
available to them through the Department of Education, the Department 
of Housing and Urban Development, and the Department of Health and 
Human Services.
  Madam Speaker, this is a nation of immigrants. Don't allow 
immigration to be weaponized. Let's make sure we address the issue in a 
comprehensive way.
  Keep the faith.

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