[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 20 (Monday, February 5, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H419-H424]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     BIPARTISAN IMMIGRATION REFORM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 9, 2023, the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Escobar) is recognized 
for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.

[[Page H420]]

  



                             General Leave

  Ms. ESCOBAR. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and to include extraneous material on the subject of this Special 
Order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Texas?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. ESCOBAR. Mr. Speaker, I have the incredible privilege of 
representing El Paso, Texas, which is a vibrant, wonderful, and 
generous community of goodwill that is right on the U.S.-Mexico border. 
My community has seen firsthand the challenges that come with a 
significant number of people fleeing their homeland and seeking refuge 
in the United States. We have opened up our pantries, we have opened up 
our wallets, and we have opened up our hearts, but it is time for 
Congress to act.
  I am so proud to be spending this Special Order hour talking about 
the first bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform bill introduced 
in Congress in a decade. In fact, even today, it is the only bipartisan 
comprehensive immigration reform bill that exists in Congress. It is a 
bill that addresses the border and beyond. It is a national security 
bill. It is an economic bill. It is a bill that finally forces Congress 
to do its job.
  While we are seeing a large number of migrants arriving at our 
Nation's front door, at the same time, we have 8 million unfilled jobs 
in our country. If we want to be a competitive nation and if we want to 
make sure that we are at the forefront of having a bold economy, then, 
frankly, we need immigrants. However, we also need order and humanity 
at the border. President Biden has repeatedly asked Congress to do its 
job and find a legislative solution.
  Now, the Senate has just introduced their own bipartisan bill. We 
don't know the fate of that, but what we in the House know is that we 
have a wonderful bipartisan coalition that has introduced a real 
solution, and that real solution is the Dignity Act.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to introduce and yield the floor to one of 
my cosponsors who herself is an expert on immigration.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Scholten).
  Ms. SCHOLTEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, last week I joined my colleagues from all corners of the 
country on a trip to the southern border to El Paso, hosted by my good 
friend, Congresswoman Escobar. This wasn't my first trip to the border.
  Before coming to Congress, I worked on this issue for close to 20 
years as a social worker, walking alongside immigrants and refugees who 
were new to this country, also as an attorney for the United States 
Department of Justice enforcing our immigration laws at the Nation's 
highest law enforcement agency. I also worked at a community legal aid 
organization in west Michigan. I have also helped employers try to get 
the workers that they need. I have worked on all aspects of this issue.
  What I saw on the border was truly horrific. We are in a crisis mode. 
During our trip we talked to Border Patrol agents, we met with 
individuals at holding facilities, talked to the immigrants themselves, 
and we talked to humanitarian aid workers. Across the board everyone 
was unified in this one belief: the border is broken. Our immigration 
system is broken. There has never been a more important time to come 
together with bipartisan solutions to fix it.
  There is truly a crisis at our border. It is a humanitarian 
nightmare, a national security red alarm, and an economic disaster.
  We visited a holding facility just outside of El Paso. The number of 
immigrants crossing the border every single day is far too many for the 
El Paso Del Norte Processing Center to contain in just 1 day, so they 
are held at a detention facility. It costs our United States 
Government, our taxpayers, $1.2 million every single day to run this 
facility just to hold people. This cannot be.
  Now is the time for action, not the time for pointing fingers. Now is 
the time not for kicking the can down the road but picking it up and 
solving this problem.
  We don't have to start from scratch for a new bill, a bill that would 
get bipartisan support. We already have that bill. It is bipartisan, 
and it is called the Dignity Act. It is the only bipartisan 
comprehensive reform bill in Congress right now.
  Instead of infighting and pointing fingers, Mr. Speaker, why not put 
it to a vote on the floor and see how many individuals would support 
it?
  What are we afraid of?
  That it might actually work?
  That it might actually solve this problem?
  The immigration crisis in our country is at a fever pitch. It has 
evolved over many years of inaction, of moments just like this where we 
are compelled to act but we refuse to do so.
  The immigration crisis in our country is a multifaceted problem that 
requires a multifaceted response.
  Just insisting that we are going to close the border is not a magic 
wand that would wave and fix the vast number of individuals who are 
finding their way across our border every day.
  It doesn't automatically provide the funding necessary for the Border 
Patrol agents who would be required to enforce this border closure, and 
it doesn't provide the pathways to the legal workforce that is so 
desperately needed in this country.
  Moreover, it surely does not address the root causes of the increase 
in migrant flow that we are seeing over the years.

  However, the bipartisan Dignity Act does.
  The Dignity Act provides for an immediate infusion of $25 billion to 
help secure our border, and the bill pays for itself through fees 
generated from visas for qualified workers.
  If we put this bill to a vote on the floor tomorrow, billions of 
dollars would begin to start flowing to our border communities to give 
them the help that they need.
  This bill also addresses the source of the flow by creating new, 
regional in-country processing centers, taking the pressure off the 
border and helping individuals determine their eligibility ahead of 
time--or lack thereof--and immigrate here to the U.S.
  The bill also addresses the fact that our immigration crisis does not 
exist in a vacuum at the southern border. Our years of failed policy 
have resulted in millions of individuals living in the shadows of the 
United States, again, a national security red alarm, an economic 
disaster, and a humanitarian crisis that must be addressed.
  This bill provides a means to identify these individuals and the 
means to remove those who have violated our laws and pose a threat to 
our country. Those who pass a background check and qualify and who pay 
a fine will immediately receive permission to work and be provided a 
pathway to lawful citizenship, supporting our growing economy and 
enhancing all of our communities in a multitude of ways.
  Why wouldn't we take this moment to address this immigration crisis?
  Why wouldn't we put this bipartisan bill on the floor?
  This is not a perfect bill by any stretch of the imagination. It is a 
compromise bill. Republicans are not getting everything they want, and 
Democrats are surely not getting everything they want, I can tell you 
that, Mr. Speaker, but it is a compromise. That is not a dirty word.
  The last time we had comprehensive immigration reform in this country 
was over 40 years ago. Think about how much our world and our economy 
have changed in that time. We are not always going to get exactly what 
we want, but if we work hard and we work together, then we can provide 
for the good of this country.
  Ms. ESCOBAR. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend, Hillary Scholten. I so 
appreciate her leadership and her support of the bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I was born and raised on the U.S.-Mexico border. I am a 
third-generation border resident. My children are both adults. My son, 
Cristian, and my daughter, Eloisa, are fourth-generation border 
residents.

                              {time}  2045

  No one wants a solution to the border more than those of us who live 
there, who have made our lives there, raised our kids there, and know 
that we will spend the rest of our days there.
  We need to come together and find areas of compromise. There is so 
much

[[Page H421]]

disunity, but we can find unity, and the Dignity Act provides us with 
that.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Wild), 
a cosponsor of the Dignity Act, a dear friend, and an incredible 
leader.
  Ms. WILD. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to be joining the gentlewoman 
from El Paso, Texas, to address one of the most pressing issues facing 
our Nation: our broken immigration system.
  I am from Pennsylvania. We are not a border State, but I hear an 
awful lot about what is happening at the southern border. I am deeply 
concerned about it, as are my constituents. It is something that we, 
this group of us who are speaking this evening, are committed to 
fixing.
  For far too long, both parties have played political games with the 
crisis at our southern border rather than pursuing real solutions to 
restore order. That is why I am so proud to be a cosponsor of the 
Dignity Act, a bipartisan bill that would tackle the crisis at our 
border and reform that badly broken immigration system.
  Let me tell you just a few things about what the Dignity Act would 
do.
  Number one, and most pressing to many, many of my constituents, it 
addresses border security. It increases the hiring of CBP personnel. It 
provides funding for border infrastructure and equipment. It makes it a 
crime to transmit the location of law enforcement personnel at the 
border for the purpose of trying to defraud the immigration laws. It 
also requires employers to verify the immigration status of their 
employees using an E-Verify system.
  All of those are things that we have been hearing about from the GOP 
for ages. This bill also provides a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers 
who came here as minors and have lived here for years in the shadows, 
unable to fulfill their lives, unable to become meaningful members of 
the workforce and to pay taxes.
  These people, these Dreamers, need a pathway to citizenship. We have 
been talking about this for way too long. It gives good, law-abiding 
people an opportunity to pursue the American Dream, which, by the way, 
so many of our parents, grandparents, and ancestors pursued. That is 
what this country is all about.
  There is absolutely no question about it: We need comprehensive 
immigration reform, and that means we have to bolster border security 
and ensure that law-abiding, tax-paying immigrants are treated with 
humanity and respect.
  We need enhanced infrastructure and funding for our Border Patrol 
agents to help enforce our laws and keep dangerous drugs off of our 
streets. We also need to strengthen those pathways to citizenship, 
which, by the way, will help build our workforce in critical industries 
and will boost our American economy.
  I have heard from employers, HR managers, manufacturers, and all 
sorts of businesses in my community that face workforce shortages. They 
want us to find ways to expand opportunities for legal immigration.
  Immigration reform is also a national security issue. Comprehensive 
immigration reform, as contemplated by the Dignity Act, would help us 
keep the drug dealers, terrorists, and other bad guys out.
  The best way to get things done in Congress is something that we 
don't do nearly often enough. It is for Democrats and Republicans to 
work together. We know that. We all know that. We have seen it 
historically. As I said, we don't do nearly enough of that.
  I am so proud that the Dignity Act has broad bipartisan support. I 
will continue to work to find ways that I can engage more of my friends 
across the aisle to support this commonsense immigration reform.
  Let me be clear. Our country needs the Dignity Act. This bill would 
allow us to bring order back to the southern border. It would surge 
resources to help enforce our laws and to support border communities 
like El Paso and so many others.
  It would help take back power from those who seek to abuse and 
overrun our asylum system. It would allow us to efficiently process 
those who are eligible for legal immigration and asylum.
  We must bring the bipartisan Dignity Act to the floor for a vote. It 
is the only truly bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform bill. We 
need to pass it.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues in leadership to put aside partisan 
politics and consider the best interests of the American people.
  Ms. ESCOBAR. Mr. Speaker, can you imagine if we came together and 
actually solved the most politically divisive issue facing our Nation 
today? The American people would be incredibly relieved. They would be 
so grateful. We could check this key issue off our list and move on to 
all the other issues that our Nation faces.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. 
Manning), another wonderful colleague who is a cosponsor of the Dignity 
Act.
  Ms. MANNING. Mr. Speaker, I thank my dear friend, Representative 
Escobar, for yielding time to me and also for her tireless work on this 
incredibly important issue.
  Mr. Speaker, the last time Congress passed comprehensive immigration 
reform was in 1986. That was nearly 40 years ago--before laptop 
computers, before cell phones, and before the internet became available 
to all.
  In so many ways, our economy and our need for workers has changed and 
grown. In fact, we have a workforce shortage at all skill levels, from 
farm and factory workers to nurses and physicians to high-tech and 
other STEM workers.
  Even though we educate the best and the brightest of foreign 
students, we send them home to compete with us because there simply 
aren't enough visas to accommodate them. Our immigration system hasn't 
changed to accommodate our needs. It is hampering our economic growth.

  While other countries, like Canada, are encouraging immigration, we 
are allowing our partisan disputes to get in the way of creating a 
system that is in our own best interest.
  Even worse, we have failed to update our system to tackle the rapid 
growth of migrants fleeing persecution and hazardous conditions in 
their own countries and seeking to enter our country by claiming asylum 
at our southern border.
  As one of my hometown immigration attorneys recently wrote in our 
hometown newspaper, many of these people would come in other ways, 
seeking legal visas if we had visa categories that accommodated them.
  Despite record levels of people seeking refuge in our country, we 
have failed to pass legislation that would address this crisis. Our 
processes are inhumane, slow, and simply don't work. Dreamers and 
asylum seekers deserve better. Border towns deserve better. Americans 
deserve better.
  That is why I joined a bipartisan group of women in the House to work 
on serious immigration reform. Alongside my friends, Representatives 
Veronica Escobar and Maria Salazar, I was proud to help introduce the 
Dignity Act.
  This bill would finally address the country's workforce needs, 
strengthen the economy, provide pathways to citizenship for Dreamers 
and asylum seekers, and secure the border.
  The Dignity Act finds common ground between Democratic and Republican 
immigration priorities. It is not perfect. There are things that I love 
in the bill, and there are things I don't love. But if we don't find 
compromise and common ground, we will never solve this challenge.
  The Dignity Act strikes the right balance. It offers tough but 
creative solutions to our Nation's most pressing immigration 
challenges.
  Over the past few months, we have seen House Republicans spend an 
enormous amount of time on the House floor, in hearings, and, frankly, 
on TV talking about the border crisis and demanding action. We have 
heard the administration call on Congress to pass legislation to 
address the border crisis as well as other immigration challenges. For 
weeks, a bipartisan group of Senators had been working on legislation, 
on an immigration deal, but the extreme House Republicans recently 
described that deal as dead on arrival even before the text of the bill 
was released.
  They didn't reject the deal because it was bad policy. They didn't 
know what the policy was. They rejected it because former President 
Trump told them to.
  He doesn't want a solution. He wants a border crisis that he can run 
on. Extreme Republicans are falling in line

[[Page H422]]

with him. They don't want a solution. They want a problem that will 
rile up their voters. This is shameful.
  Our country deserves better. Our country deserves real solutions. 
That is why I am here with my fellow Democratic co-leads of the Dignity 
Act to say: Stop the whining and get to work.
  We all know the border issue needs to be addressed. We all know we 
have a workforce shortage. We all know we need an upgraded immigration 
system that works for all of us. We have a solution crafted right here 
in the House by Democrats and Republicans working together on a 
bipartisan basis.
  Mr. Speaker, I call on my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to 
join us in supporting the Dignity Act. Let's work together to solve 
this problem and build a stronger future for all.
  Ms. ESCOBAR. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate Ms. Manning's powerful voice.
  Mr. Speaker, many of the sponsors of the bipartisan comprehensive 
immigration reform bill, the Dignity Act, are relatively new to 
Congress, including Ms. Scholten and Ms. Manning, who you heard from.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Sorensen).
  Mr. SORENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Escobar for hosting 
this important discussion.
  I would be remiss if I didn't say that your home State of Texas is 
the only State that I have ever lived outside of my own home State of 
Illinois. So, I have a soft spot for the Lone Star State.
  Mr. Speaker, I stand here proud to cosponsor the Dignity Act tonight, 
which is the only bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform bill that 
currently exists in the House of Representatives.
  This legislation is critical. It does just what we need. It secures 
our border, strengthens our economy, creates an orderly and humane path 
to legal status for those who follow U.S. law, and gives law 
enforcement the tools they need to stop the flow of fentanyl that is 
hurting and killing members of our families and our neighbors.
  Make no mistake, I am deeply concerned with what is happening at the 
southern border. It is now Congress' time to act.
  Since the moment I was sworn in, I have tried to work as hard as I 
can with both sides of the aisle to find solutions to complex problems. 
I have proposed legislation to increase the number of Customs and 
Border Protection officers that patrol our southern border. I have 
proposed legislation that would help identify the fentanyl that is 
coming into our country. I found Republican colleagues, Republican 
friends, to come together because we need to work together.
  Unfortunately, House GOP leadership has rejected all of the 
bipartisan ideas.
  I am a believer that to get things done here in Congress, we need to 
listen to the perspectives of both sides. In this Congress, the 
bipartisan path has been the only way that we have gotten results.

                              {time}  2100

  That is how we have been able to fund the government, prevent a 
catastrophic debt default, pass a bill to lower taxes for businesses 
and working families.
  We have tried the partisan-only path to solving the immigration and 
border problem, but that does not work. Securing our border and fixing 
our immigration system must be done on a bipartisan basis.
  Now, there are Members of Congress, especially my colleagues here on 
the floor right now, who want to solve the problem, but there are some 
in the House and the Senate GOP who want to strong-arm us, using the 
border as a political football in the ultimate display of gamesmanship.
  Just yesterday, a bipartisan group of Senators released a plan to 
secure the border and fix our broken immigration system.
  This compromised proposal is aggressive about tackling the challenges 
that we see at the border without straying from our Nation's core 
values.
  The Senate plan makes our country safer; it makes our border more 
secure; and it treats people fairly and humanely.
  But less than a day after its release, before most Members have even 
had a chance to read it, House GOP leadership said it is dead on 
arrival in the House.
  Now, let's call it what it is: It is a display of inaction that puts 
politics in front of any solution.
  The choice is clear: Do we choose to solve the problem in a 
bipartisan way, or do we allow Members across the aisle just to 
continue to refuse to consider the solution at all?
  The latter is not what the people sent us here to do. In my district, 
in central and northwestern Illinois, my neighbors expect us to come 
here and solve problems, not to ignore them for political gain.
  I have families in my district who have an empty seat at their dinner 
table because they lost a loved one to fentanyl.
  And the House GOP leadership's response to that family is: Let's put 
the upcoming election in front of hurting families. That, Mr. Speaker, 
is as pathetic as it is selfish.
  But the good news is, Speaker Johnson has another chance. He can work 
with us to put the Dignity Act up for a vote. Passing a bipartisan bill 
will show the American people we are serious about solving this 
problem.
  I can think of few other examples where Democrats and Republicans 
have come together on such a difficult topic to propose bipartisan 
legislation that will secure our border, reform our immigration system, 
and put us on a sustainable path to solving the issues.
  We can be the Congress to do it. We can create security for our 
Nation and for the American people.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask Speaker Johnson to give us the chance to do what 
we need. Bring the Dignity Act to the floor. Let us debate it, let us 
vote on it, and let's work together to solve the problem.
  Ms. ESCOBAR. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Sorensen so much. I 
am so grateful for his leadership and support.
  Mr. Speaker, there are diverse groups and organizations that support 
the Dignity Act, from the evangelical community, to the American 
Chamber of Commerce, to ABIC, the American Business Immigration 
Council.
  It is remarkable that once we put up our bill, our bipartisan bill, 
people from every corner of this country have been clamoring, asking us 
when it is coming to the floor, when will it get a vote because they 
are in support.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Slotkin), 
who is an incredible leader here in Congress and a colleague, a 
classmate that I was elected to Congress with, another cosponsor of the 
Dignity Act.
  Ms. SLOTKIN. Mr. Speaker, I came out today to address the issue that 
is top of mind for so many Americans: Immigration.
  We find ourselves at this existential moment on the issue. As a 
Nation of immigrants, where nearly every single one of us has our own 
immigration story to tell, we know in our bones that our immigration 
system is broken. It is not working for, literally, anyone.
  When I say ``anyone,'' I mean, everyone. It is not working for our 
businesses, who desperately need vetted immigrant labor. It is not 
working for the immigrants who are walking a thousand miles in some 
cases to cross our border. It is not working for our border agents and 
for our customs and border folks who are trying to manage an astounding 
number of people coming over the border. It is not working for our 
communities who are having people bused to them. It is not working for 
the strain on those cities and the services. It is not working for 
anyone.
  We can say with clarity and certainty that immigration system in a 
Nation of immigrants is broken, and there is blame enough to go around.
  Democrats, Republicans, multiple White Houses, multiple 
administrations, Congress plays a big part in this, Washington 
departments and agencies over many, many years have used this issue to 
play politics rather than actually doing anything about it.
  Finally, as you can see from the speeches here tonight, there is 
agreement that we have a problem, right?
  The first step you can take to dealing with your problem is admitting 
you have a problem, but the fundamental question is: What are we going 
to now do about it?
  I am a national security person by trade. I am a former CIA officer, 
a former Pentagon official. I did three tours in Iraq alongside the 
military.

[[Page H423]]

My whole life before I came to this body was about protecting the 
homeland from external threats.
  Not only that, but I come from Michigan, a northern border State. I 
was just at our border in Detroit this past week where I got to see a 
healthy, functioning border and what it looks like.
  There is no greater responsibility for those of us who are elected 
than to protect our citizens, and no greater responsibility than to 
work on solutions that do just that.
  Two months ago in December, I thought we finally had gotten over a 
major hump. We were at a moment where Democrats and Republicans here in 
the White House, in the Senate, across the country were all saying that 
we needed to work on immigration.
  The Speaker of the House, the Speaker of this body, wrote to 
President Biden personally, saying that if the President wanted more 
things on Ukraine, it was ``dependent upon enactment of transformative 
change to our Nation's border security laws.'' Those were his words.
  In the Senate, a group of Democrats and Republicans did what people 
pay them to do, what they actually expect them to do, which is sit in a 
room, negotiate, argue, debate over policy to deal with the extreme 
pressure on the border, and they came to a solution.
  Yesterday, we got our first look at what that proposal actually is, 
but no sooner was it out, than it is now sailing down the river like a 
dumpster fire, being trashed by the very people who negotiated it, 
being trashed by the very people who asked for it, being trashed by the 
Speaker of the House who desperately said: I won't consider any future 
assistance without border security.
  No piece of legislation is ever perfect, but it does help us curb who 
is coming in. It gets people working legally in our businesses like on 
our farms, which desperately need that labor. In the meantime, these 
people would be paying taxes, paying into Social Security, paying into 
Medicare.
  I can't understand why we continually refuse to take up bipartisan 
solutions like the one that is being debated in the Senate and the one 
that we are presenting on today, the Dignity Act. We need something to 
move the ball forward.
  I know that all of us are willing to work with anyone across the 
aisle on solutions, but you have got to come to the table and 
acknowledge we have a problem and say you want to work on the solution.
  Just two months after the Speaker laid out this existential problem 
with border security where he said: What is happening at the border is 
nothing short of a catastrophe and demanded immediate changes to the 
administration policy and to our laws.
  He has now reversed course. He did a complete 180, changed his views 
and now we can't talk about the border.
  Why? Because former President Donald Trump told him to.
  He is out there saying that I am in control of my caucus. If you have 
to say you are in control of your caucus, you are not in control of 
your caucus.

                              {time}  2110

  Donald Trump told him he didn't like the bill. He told Mitch 
McConnell he didn't like the bill. The thing we have been working on as 
a healthy bipartisan negotiation falls apart in a day because Donald 
Trump wants to make ads about it; he wants to do political rallies 
about it; he wants to use it as a club against Joe Biden; he wants to 
use it for himself instead of doing what the country expects, which is 
dealing with the crisis at the border.
  The leaders who were elected to protect their constituents are bowing 
to this pressure with barely a bat of the eye. It is embarrassing 
actually. It is sad to watch, but definitely embarrassing, and another 
sign of how toxic and ill our politics have become.
  I was trying to think about what would happen when I was a CIA 
officer or at the Pentagon if I had identified a real national security 
crisis with facts and data, if I had said this is a threat to our 
country, talked about it publicly, constantly came back to it to raise 
attention to this issue, and then refused to do anything about it? 
There is a term for this in the military. It is called dereliction of 
duty. It is a fireable offense.
  The next time I hear one of my colleagues railing about the border, 
railing about immigration in the same breath that they are refusing to 
actually do anything about it, I am going to remember that in other 
places other than this body, that is completely unacceptable, that it 
is a joke to care about something and then ignore it.
  Remember this, our colleagues had the chance to work on this issue. 
If they don't like that bill, come and talk to us about the Dignity 
Act. Come to the table to negotiate, but stop choosing yourself instead 
of your constituents and the safety of the country.
  Ms. ESCOBAR. Mr. Speaker, I thank Ms. Slotkin for those very powerful 
words. She mentioned something that I think is so important to repeat. 
As I have been talking to colleagues on both sides of the aisle about 
the Dignity Act, they have pointed out things they don't like or things 
that they consider imperfect.
  I have said two things in response: Please give me a suggestion on 
how you would change whatever provision it is that you don't like and 
how you would accomplish that in a bipartisan way. That is the first 
thing I say. The second thing I say is, if this bipartisan bill that to 
date has about 30 bipartisan cosponsors, a really great coalition of 
bipartisan support, if this isn't the bipartisan immigration bill you 
like, I would be happy to look at yours.
  If folks don't like this bill, they can either introduce their own 
after working hard to produce a bipartisan product like we did or they 
can even offer suggestions on provisions they would like to see changed 
as long as those changes reflect the bipartisan compromise that we 
worked so hard to create in this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to my colleague from Pennsylvania (Ms. 
Houlahan), who was just in my district and my hometown this weekend.
  Ms. HOULAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Escobar for not 
only yielding her time but also for welcoming me and many others to her 
community just a few days ago.
  Last week, I had the opportunity to visit our southern border by way 
of El Paso. This was my second time to the border. Very similar to the 
op-ed that I published in Newsweek earlier today, I share a little bit 
of my reaction to this very important and eye-opening congressional 
delegation that I was able to participate in.
  If you are a Pennsylvanian like I am, you know that we just observed 
Groundhog Day, and Punxsutawney Phil didn't see his shadow, so we can 
all expect an early spring. At our country's southwest border, it feels 
like every day is Groundhog Day. Like so many Americans, I am a 
combination of angry and frustrated and heartbroken by what continues 
to happen there day after day and year after year and decade after 
decade.
  We know that our immigration policies have to align with the shared 
values of our country. We are a country that was built primarily by 
immigrants, and we must welcome new arrivals compassionately while also 
protecting and securing our safety and our economy.
  My community is, indeed, thousands of miles away from the southern 
border, in the suburbs of Philadelphia. We face unique challenges every 
day regarding immigration, but what is not unique about my community, 
indeed about every community, is that we have felt the impact in some 
way of our fractured and broken immigration system.
  My visit to the southern border last week was not my first. 
Previously, I had the opportunity to go to Brownsville, Texas, and 
these trips have taught me that our system is broken but, indeed, can 
be repaired.
  I have seen the efforts firsthand of important changes that Congress 
here has made and implemented since my first visit. Gone are the 
dehumanizing cages and the literal smell of humanity. In their place is 
a clean and dignified environment, centered on the health and the well-
being of the migrants and of the incredibly dedicated Americans who 
work on behalf of our country. There is still clearly an enormous 
amount of work that needs to be done to secure our border, with 
enhanced processes, more staffing, and better systems, but the 
difference is palpable.

[[Page H424]]

  Most significantly, though, what has not been improved is the volume 
of migrants and the fact that there is still no other path than this 
desperate one for people who seek a better life in this vibrant and 
healthy economy. We don't need more of the same expensive Band-Aids 
but, rather, we need real reform, with more legal pathways to come here 
and to participate in our Nation's next 250 years.
  I am committed to bipartisanship and to securing our border, and I am 
asking the very same of Congress. Specifically, I am asking the very 
same of our Speaker. The message that I share today is this: Our 
Republican leadership in Congress needs to commit to bringing 
bipartisan immigration reform bills like Veronica Escobar's bipartisan 
Dignity Act to the floor for a vote and now.

  As an example, here is what the Dignity Act would do:
  Number one, it would provide more money for CBP and border 
infrastructure to prevent illegal immigration.
  Number two, it would require employers to verify the immigration 
status of workers and to ensure that they are here lawfully.
  Number three, it would provide a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, 
who are the children of immigrants who came here when they were very 
young.
  Number four, it would establish a path to permanent residency status 
for eligible individuals without lawful immigration status who meet 
various requirements, including paying into a fund to provide training 
for U.S. workers.
  Let us pause and think about what I have just shared--policies that 
the vast, vast majority of Americans agree on. If we, as a Congress, 
are not passing legislation that the vast, vast majority of Americans 
agree on, I truly believe, as my colleague Representative Elissa 
Slotkin mentioned, we are derelict in our duties.
  Efforts like the Senate bipartisan bill that was just introduced 
yesterday must also be considered and be voted on. While I am still 
reading through the details of the 370-page bill, I am encouraged by 
the very summary that I have seen. While the path forward on 
immigration reform will likely not be straightforward, this much is 
true: We must reach a compromise with real solutions to this complex 
conversation and issue right now.
  Again, I am calling on Speaker Johnson to change his deeply cynical 
position that ``now is not the time'' for immigration reform. I 
couldn't disagree more. Most people in most communities across America 
couldn't disagree more.
  No solution will be perfect, but we cannot let that keep us from 
making progress for both the American people and for those who seek 
refuge here.
  Not too long ago it was, indeed, my own family seeking shelter. My 
father and my grandmother survived the Holocaust. They left war-torn 
Poland after World War II and sought a better way of life here in the 
United States. I saw my young dad and grandmother in the eyes of 
frightened, desperate, and hopeful migrants that I was able to meet 
last week.
  One small family unit in particular struck me. He was a young man of 
probably no more than 20 years old with his beautiful, curly-headed 
toddler, who reminded me of my youngest child. He told me about 
traffickers taking pictures of his son to intimidate and extort the 
father into conformance with their threats and demands. We can do 
better.
  A lot has changed since my own father and grandmother took a ship 
across the Atlantic Ocean to New York City, and our immigration laws 
must also change as well.
  I honor the souls, both migrant and American, whose lives collide 
with each other every day at our borders, and I again urge Republican 
leadership to bring a bipartisan border bill to the House floor. We 
must seek the hope of fresh opportunities. The shadows that burden us 
must all be lifted. That is possible, but only if we here in Congress 
understand that this Nation depends on us to act and to act now.
  Mr. Speaker, I encourage all of my colleagues to support the 
bipartisan immigration reform.

                              {time}  2120

  Ms. ESCOBAR. Mr. Speaker, I am so proud of my colleagues and so 
incredibly honored and privileged to be working alongside them toward 
this very noble purpose. I am so proud of my Republican colleagues, as 
well, and honored they are on this bill.
  It is a strange thing to say, but it actually takes a lot of courage 
for people to compromise in this place. The U.S. Congress today, 
unfortunately, is in some ways set up to ensure that our divisions are 
even more deeply rooted and that the chasm between us is made even 
greater.
  It really is up to each and every one of us to build a bridge over 
that chasm, to find that pathway toward unity, and to focus, really, on 
areas of agreement instead of areas of disagreement. It is what the 
American people want. It is what the American people deserve.
  A couple of my colleagues mentioned the trip to El Paso last weekend. 
Since I was elected to Congress my first year in 2019, I have brought 
over 25 percent of Congress--that number is probably even higher now--
to El Paso. I invite my colleagues to join me. The trips are really 
insightful. We don't just talk to Border Patrol agents. We actually do 
a very holistic evaluation and have robust conversations with everyone 
that a broken system touches.
  It helps put into perspective how complex the solution really is and 
how unacceptable it is that we have gone so long without addressing 
this solution.
  I am going to close with this, Mr. Speaker, because my colleagues 
have done such an effective job of advocating for this bipartisan 
compromise. I mentioned just a little bit ago the large number of 
supporting organizations that have come to us and told us they want to 
help. They want to see this bill get to the floor. They want a 
solution. The organizations range from left leaning to right leaning 
and everything in between.
  Last week, I had the opportunity to speak to the Power and 
Communication Contractors Association, a group that came to Washington 
specifically to advocate for the Dignity Act. This is not a group I 
reached out to. This is not a group that any of us called and invited 
to D.C. They heard about the bill. They shared it with each other. They 
are a trade organization that is trying to install broadband across 
this country, especially in rural areas, but they are up against 
workforce shortages.
  When they learned of the Dignity Act, they reached out to me. They 
asked me to speak to their group. I visited with them last week in the 
evening after a long day here on Capitol Hill, and they gave me such 
inspiration.
  If regular Americans who are just trying to do their jobs are coming 
to D.C. to beg us to do ours, something is very wrong, but something is 
also very right. That means the American people are finally demanding 
of us that we do our job.
  I would be remiss if I didn't say this: My party should have worked 
to compromise a long time ago.
  Colleagues of mine on the other side of the aisle today are refusing 
to compromise. They keep pointing to their bill, H.R. 2. They keep 
saying this is the solution. I can tell you it is not.
  A fundamental component to H.R. 2, something that is rarely talked 
about but fundamental to H.R. 2, is that Mexico be willing to accept 
every migrant the U.S. decides to expel. That has never happened, nor 
will it ever happen, so H.R. 2 is not realistic.
  House Democrats who are holding onto the perfect are not realistic, 
either.
  Let's come together. Let's fix this once and for all. Let's get to 
work and bring this to the floor. Let's put everyone to the test. Do we 
want a solution, or do we not?
  On behalf of my colleagues and the millions of Americans who are 
ready for this vote, let's get this done.
  Mr. Speaker, I am so grateful for the opportunity to highlight this 
very important bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

                          ____________________