[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 179 (Tuesday, October 28, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1014]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    HONORING NATIONAL IMMIGRANTS DAY

                                  _____
                                 

                              HON. ED CASE

                               of hawaii

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 28, 2025

  Mr. CASE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express gratitude and support 
for our Nation's vibrant immigrant community on this National 
Immigrants Day.
  Every October 28th, we recognize and celebrate the contributions of 
immigrants--born citizens of another country--to our United States. Our 
Nation stands as the country with the most immigrants in the world: 
over 52 million in 2024, or about 15 percent of our overall population. 
Throughout our history immigrants have made, and today continue to 
make, invaluable contributions to our country, including invigorating 
our economy and sharing their unique cultures to enrich the fabric of 
our society.
  Nowhere is this truer than in my Hawaii, where so many are themselves 
immigrants or descended from immigrants. Hawaii is home today to 
256,000 immigrants, or about 18 percent of our total population--
ranking us 8th in the Nation. Immigrants have been central to the 
history and culture of Hawaii for centuries, from being the backbone of 
our labor force in Hawaii's earlier agricultural industries in sugar 
and pineapple, to now making up 22 percent of our labor force and a 
disproportionately large share of our vital hospitality and health care 
industries as well as our dominant small businesses. Our distinctive 
multicultural identity, from ``pidgin'' to fusion foods like spam 
musubi, meat jun and saimin, to our distinctly local music and way of 
life, have been uniquely shaped by our immigrant `ohana.
  Nationally, the immigrant experience then and now has strengthened 
our country immeasurably in equally multiple ways. In pure economic 
terms alone, in 2022 immigrants generated some $1.6 trillion in 
economic activity and contributed more than $579 billion in local, 
state and federal taxes, and today millions of American workers are 
employed at immigrant-founded and immigrant-owned companies. 
Immigration is and will increasingly be essential to meeting workplace 
demand. Our immigrant communities maintain ties to their countries of 
origin and thus strengthen our Nation's indispensable international 
bonds.
  At a time when too many immigrant communities here and elsewhere are 
being unfairly targeted and villainized, it is more important than ever 
that we recognize, celebrate and extend our support to our dynamic, 
diverse and thriving immigrant community and thank all immigrants for 
your belief in and contributions to our country. Mahalo.

                          ____________________