[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 197 (Thursday, November 30, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H6030-H6031]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 TYING ASYLUM CHANGES TO AID FOR ALLIES

  (Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)

[[Page H6031]]

  

  Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Mr. Speaker, when I helped clients win asylum 
cases as a young law student, I heard the tragic stories of how they 
fled their countries, carrying with them fear and pain but little else.
  It is already very hard to win asylum. You must first show that you 
have a credible fear of being persecuted in your home country. Asylum 
seekers must later prove their claims in an administrative or court 
process.
  There are many things wrong with our immigration system, but showing 
credible fear is the right first step. Now, we are seeing major 
permanent proposed changes to our asylum law as a condition for 
emergency funding for Ukraine, Israel, and the Indo-Pacific.
  I stand in strong support of this emergency aid. It is essential, but 
just as it was wrong to tie Israeli aid to gutting the IRS' ability to 
go after tax cheats, it is wrong to tie harmful, significant, and 
permanent changes to asylum law to passing essential aid for our 
allies.
  Instead, we need comprehensive immigration reform. We need to protect 
our Dreamers, and we need to support our allies. Our Latino 
communities, our asylum seekers, and our allies abroad deserve better.

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