[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 96 (Wednesday, June 5, 2024)]
[House]
[Page H3660]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                CELEBRATING IMMIGRANTS' POSITIVE IMPACTS

  (Ms. VELAZQUEZ asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to recognize June as 
Immigrant Heritage Month. This month, we celebrate the invaluable 
contributions of immigrants and the positive impact that they have on 
our country.
  In that spirit, I would like to share the stories of one of my 
constituents. Gerald Michaud is a temporary protected status recipient 
from Haiti who received TPS after the devastating 2010 earthquake. 
Gerald was in Florida on a business trip when he learned that his home 
country had been devastated by the catastrophic earthquake and that he 
would be unable to return home safely.
  However, with his TPS status, he has been able to live and work in 
the U.S. and support his family in Haiti.
  Gerald is a 32BJ-SEIU member who works as a security officer and 
wheelchair attendant at LaGuardia International Airport and, on the 
weekends, serves as a martial arts instructor with the dream to one day 
have his own studio.
  TPS has allowed Gerald to contribute so much to our community in 
Brooklyn. TPS holders like Gerald across the country contribute some 
$31 billion annually to the U.S. economy.
  This Immigrant Heritage Month, I recognize the contributions of 
immigrants like Gerald to communities across the country.

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