[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 196 (Thursday, November 20, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H4861-H4863]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1920
                    HONORING REVEREND FERNANDO SIABA

  (Under the Speaker's announced policy of January 3, 2025, Mrs. 
Ramirez of Illinois was recognized for 30 minutes.)


                             General Leave

  Mrs. RAMIREZ. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent for all Members to 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include 
any extraneous material on the subject of my Special Order hour.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Knott). Is there objection to the 
request of the gentlewoman from Illinois?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. RAMIREZ. Mr. Speaker, I would like to start my Special Order 
hour by honoring someone who has been monumental in my life.
  I rise today to honor the life and legacy of my pastor and friend, 
the one and only Reverend Fernando Siaba. It is hard to fully describe 
the impact that he had on my life and how much I will miss him blessing 
me with ``God bless''; ``Dios te bendiga.''
  Pastor Siaba lived a life that exemplified love for God and for his 
neighbors. I met Pastor Siaba at Humboldt Park United Methodist Church 
when I was just 15 years old. He invested heavily in my spiritual and 
professional development, both as my pastor and as board chair of 
Humboldt Park Social Services, now Center for Changing Lives, the 
organization that I had the honor to be the executive director for, for 
9 years.
  Mentoring leaders, particularly women of faith and leadership, was 
one of Pastor Siaba's greatest gifts. Over his impactful career, he 
served eight congregations. Even after his retirement, he continued 
serving by mentoring pastors, being registrar for the John Wesley 
Theological Institute, volunteering at a food pantry, and leading at 
Euclid Avenue United Methodist Church.
  Pastor Siaba had a gift for thoughtful planning. He was so detail-
oriented, humble, and truly the best listener.
  In true Pastor Siaba fashion, he planned his own funeral, and he 
requested his eulogist preach on John 1:16: ``From his fullness we have 
all received grace upon grace.'' While he may have defined his life by 
grace, we all benefited from the grace he extended to us. He wanted the 
best for all of us. He advocated for immigrants, people who were 
unhoused, and people who were struggling with substance abuse.
  He truly lived a life of love and action. He taught us to love God, 
to serve our community, to seek justice, and to welcome our neighbors 
with open arms.
  Today, on behalf of Illinois' Third Congressional District, that 
young person that he mentored, supported, and believed in has the 
greatest honor to commend him here on the House floor, in the House of 
Representatives, to commend the life of Reverend Fernando Siaba for his 
legacy of love, joy, and service.
  I express my sincere condolences to his wife, Judy Siaba; his three 
daughters, Erika, Marta, and Ruth; and his entire beloved family.
  May his memory be a blessing that sustains our fight for justice, and 
may he be welcomed in the company of saints and ancestors as a good and 
faithful servant. Mr. Speaker, may Pastor Siaba rest in peace.


                         Honoring Marisol Velez

  Mrs. RAMIREZ. Mr. Speaker, I also rise today to honor someone else. 
Today, I want to honor Marisol Velez, known as Pinqy Ring. She is a 
rooted, revolutionary Puerto Rican emcee from Chicago, decolonizing 
minds as a rapper, as an educator, as a mentor, and as a speaker.
  As a cultural worker and disruptor, Pinqy's music ignites our 
imaginations and sustains our struggles against displacement and 
erasure.
  As an educator and mentor, she shapes the next generation of creative 
changemakers through culturally rooted programming and radical care.
  Pinqy is a GRAMMY U mentor. She sits on the National Advisory Board 
for Music Will and serves as a U.S. Hip-Hop Cultural Ambassador to 
facilitate cultural diplomacy programming and conflict transformation 
music. In her roles, she is shaping the first-ever K-12 hip-hop 
guidelines with the Hip-Hop Education Center.
  On behalf of Illinois' Third Congressional District, it is my honor 
to commend Marisol Velez for helping young people find their truth 
unapologetically and share it creatively.
  Now, here in the House of Representatives, her name will live on. I 
congratulate Pinqy.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. 
Underwood).


             Operation Midway Blitz Can Never Happen Again

  Ms. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today because what happened in 
Illinois during Operation Midway Blitz can never happen again.
  The last time this Chamber convened before House Republicans took an 
8-week vacation was September 19. This is the first chance that I have 
had to address the House about the outrageous abuses of power our 
community has endured for the past 2 months.
  Under Kristi Noem's so-called leadership, Department of Homeland 
Security agents have terrorized my district. Their reckless and 
incompetent methods have traumatized families and endangered entire 
neighborhoods.
  No community in America should live under siege by the Federal 
Government as mine has.
  Federal immigration officers and National Guard personnel, weaponized 
and politicized by the Trump administration, swept into my district 
with no communication, no coordination, no transparency, no 
accountability, and no regard for public safety. They came barging into 
our towns, ignored our laws, and trampled on our civil and human 
rights.
  In Aurora, a Federal agent pepper-sprayed a constituent of mine 
directly in the face from inches away while she was standing completely 
still with her hands at her sides, unarmed.
  Elsewhere in my district, we heard reports that Federal officers used 
an elementary school as a staging area, positioning armed tactical 
teams on school grounds in full view of children.

[[Page H4862]]

  Parents are afraid to leave their homes after hearing about neighbors 
abducted by masked agents while walking their kids to school, leaving 
the children unattended by the side of the road.
  Workers fear going to their jobs. Our economy is suffering. Local 
businesses have seen foot traffic collapse.
  Despite the Trump administration's claims of targeting ``the worst of 
the worst,'' their immigration enforcement operations have been a 
chaotic mess, sweeping up U.S. citizens, legal immigrants, and people 
with no criminal record.
  I was horrified when Federal agents rappelled down from helicopters 
to a Chicago apartment complex in the middle of the night, smashed 
windows and doors, threw flash-bang grenades, dragged children from 
their beds, and zip-tied and detained U.S. citizens for hours.
  Yet, after all that, Federal prosecutors have not filed criminal 
charges against anyone detained that night.
  In a recent court filing, DHS listed 614 people arrested as part of 
Operation Midway Blitz, and only 16 of them have criminal histories of 
any kind. That is 2.6 percent. The other 598 people have no criminal 
record.
  What is happening in Illinois is called racial profiling. Greg 
Bovino, the Border Patrol agent who led Operation Midway Blitz, 
literally told a reporter that agents arrest people based on ``how they 
look.'' Masked officers are violently targeting people, including U.S. 
citizens, because their brown skin and their black hair make them seem 
suspicious.
  This is a complete failure. Our Founding Fathers warned us about this 
type of government overreach after seeing how a desperate King's troops 
could trample on our unalienable right to liberty. Yet, as we approach 
our Nation's 250th birthday, we are confronting a similar tyranny.
  That is not all. Many of those arrests have essentially disappeared. 
Members of Congress could not get basic information from DHS about 
where they took our constituents. During the Republican shutdown, DHS 
leadership chose to furlough the liaisons that we rely on to locate 
detainees and resolve urgent casework.
  When a constituent reached out because her husband was denied access 
to medical care in a detention facility, my office's emails bounced 
back and our calls went unanswered. Weeks later, I am still waiting for 
a response.

                              {time}  1930

  However, the shutdown didn't stop DHS agents from harassing citizens 
and using force on peaceful protesters, because the administration 
deemed those violent tactics essential. That was not an accident. That 
was a policy choice.
  I say to my fellow Americans, this is not what legitimate law 
enforcement looks like. Operation Midway Blitz disregarded Illinois 
State laws, Federal laws, and the U.S. Constitution. Due process, a 
foundational constitutional right for all people in this country, went 
out the window. Local police and officials were kept in the dark. 
People were snatched off the streets seemingly at random.
  Many of my constituents felt like they were being hunted because of 
the language that they speak or the color of their skin, simply because 
they needed to run an errand at the hardware store or walk their kids 
to school.
  This is not about public safety. When the President has the power to 
terrorize American communities for his political purposes, it makes us 
all less safe. It makes us all less free.
  The people of Illinois deserve answers, and Americans deserve better.
  Mrs. RAMIREZ. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Underwood for her 
hard work, her courage, her commitment, and for speaking truth to power 
in the people's House.
  Mr. Speaker, when I look around at every single chair here, I think 
about the fact that Members of Congress, every one of us represents 
about 700,000 people, but together we represent every single person 
that lives in this country. That has got to be the greatest honor and 
privilege for anyone to be able to serve humanity in this way.
  Therefore, it is important for me to think about the people's House, 
about the fact that we went 43 days without being in session. The 
Speaker put us into recess, and some of my colleagues were not even in 
their district. But here we are 43 days later, on the fourth day of 
this week of session, and as a reminder, I feel the necessity to remind 
my fellow Americans around the country and everyone watching what has 
happened here.
  As a reminder, Republicans' big, ugly bill perpetrated the greatest 
transfer of wealth from working people to the ultra-wealthy in American 
history. I can tell you that when I visited food pantries in my 
district, I met people who said to me: Congresswoman, every single year 
I donate a thousand dollars to this food pantry, but here I am making a 
line, and I have been here for 3 hours. This is not the country and the 
promise that I thought the President made.
  Here we are now. This week, instead of actually fixing healthcare, 
instead of passing legislation where we are actually strengthening the 
safety net for our constituents, instead of working together to build 
in the people's House, we are here filled with censures. And this week, 
Republicans are attacking more of the programs that our fellow 
Americans rely on, resolving that programs like Social Security, 
Medicare, unemployment insurance, workers' compensation, and more are 
horrors.
  Let's talk about the truth of the so-called Denouncing the Horrors of 
Socialism resolution that we are going to be voting on in a couple of 
hours in the morning. Republicans must despise you and hate the idea of 
seeing our communities thrive.
  Look, Republicans are quick to steal the programs and services you 
rely on to bail out the ultra-wealthy and big corporations, so we know 
that it is not the subsidies or supports that are the problem. 
Republicans champion socialism when it is benefiting the rich and the 
powerful who they think deserve it most. But when it comes to working 
families, then social programs are a nightmare because, bottom line, 
they do not believe you deserve the support.
  Let me give you a few examples of social welfare programs that 
Americans rely on every single day whether they are in a Republican 
district or a Democratic district: SNAP benefits, VA benefits, local 
fire departments and police departments, the United States Postal 
Service, FEMA, public education, and the interstates that make commerce 
possible.
  Listen, socialized programs are the foundation and safety net that 
ensures all members of our community can thrive regardless of our 
personal economic ability to pay into a capitalistic society.
  Let's be very clear. I know, Mr. Speaker, you may not want to hear 
this, but it feels like hypocrisy. They want to give money to the 
elites while leaving nothing for everyday working families. It goes 
without saying that I will be voting ``no'' on this resolution.
  I believe that our country must reprioritize and reconsider what we 
invest in. For me, that is working people. The ultra-rich don't need 
more subsidies. We are about to have a trillionaire that comes from 
this country, and they should finally be paying their fair share in 
taxes.
  I believe that everyday, hardworking people deserve more and better. 
They have said this to you directly. They have said this to all of us 
directly.
  I believe in universal healthcare--I do. I believe in free higher 
education--I do. And I believe social housing and pensions for all so 
that people don't have to work until they are 90, and they can retire 
with dignity. I also believe in a guaranteed minimum income, free 
public transit, and so much more.
  You see, working families should be given every single thing they 
need to thrive. They shouldn't have to work 40 hours a week and still 
feel like they can't make it. We demand more. We demand a future that 
works for every working person. We can, in fact, build that together, 
but we can't do that if we destroy healthcare.
  Since day one, the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress 
have been clear about the pain they are willing to inflict on the 
American people. You see, in only 11 months, Republicans have used 
their power to cut our healthcare, to close our hospitals, to raise our 
healthcare costs in order to make sure that billionaire bosses become 
richer.
  It is open enrollment season, and working families are already seeing

[[Page H4863]]

double or triple the cost they usually pay for health insurance 
premiums. These are the very same people that have been telling you 
that they can barely afford their healthcare and to pay for their 
mortgage. In Illinois, many people will see their costs rise between 
$3,000 to $23,000, money that every family in our State should be able 
to keep to invest in their family's and community's quality of life.

  Here is the bottom line: Costs keep increasing and people won't be 
able to afford their healthcare. Millions will go without the goods and 
services that they need, and the President wants us unhoused. He wants 
us foreclosed, he wants us poor, and it seems like he also wants us 
uninsured.
  Look, I have already signed the discharge petition to ensure that the 
ACA subsidies extension is put on the floor for a vote because we need 
to use every single tool at our disposal to fight for our working 
families. I think it is time--it is past time--for Republicans to join 
Democrats in prioritizing working people and address the pain that our 
communities are enduring.
  We should be demanding more, and it means that we could be using the 
discharge petition process. We have seen it work before this week, to 
release the Epstein files. We can do the same thing and get to the 
magic number of 218 Members of Congress who care more about their 
constituents than they care about a dictator, who care more about their 
constituents than they care about insurance companies, who care more 
about their constituents than they care about billionaires.
  Here is the bottom line: We must demand more. Every Member of 
Congress who says they care about healthcare and working people--it 
doesn't matter if you are a Democrat or a Republican--needs to sign the 
discharge petition and take action on the rising cost of living.
  Mr. Speaker, people keep saying, where does my money go? My taxes 
keep increasing. Where are they going? Well, Mr. Speaker, you and I 
both know where the money is going. Yes, it is going to Homeland 
Security, $150 billion there so that the Secretary can cosplay and jump 
on those $200 million jets. But it is also going to other parts of the 
world to pay for bombs.

                              {time}  1940

  Mr. Speaker, I want to talk about a bill I introduced a few months 
ago. It is the Block the Bombs Act.
  It must frustrate my colleagues, whether Democrat or Republican, that 
our government is using their money, their taxpayer dollars, so that 
someone else can use them in another country and bomb women and 
children.
  I have been clear since the beginning of the ceasefire in Gaza and 
Israel that Netanyahu and Trump are a lethal, unaccountable duo that 
cannot be trusted. In the time since the most recent ceasefire 
agreement, the Netanyahu government has continued to bomb Gaza, 
including refugee camps. It has restricted the movements of 
humanitarian aid, moved to annex the West Bank, and continued to arrest 
Palestinians without charge.
  Mr. Speaker, this is all while Netanyahu continues to lobby the U.S. 
for more and more of our money so they can get more weapons 
unconditionally, which Trump is inclined to deliver as long as he can 
turn Gaza into the next Middle Eastern Riviera.
  Today, on this House floor, we must say enough is enough. Congress 
must assert its oversight authority and withhold the weapons that are 
still being used right now, even in the midst of this so-called 
ceasefire, to violate U.S. and international law. That is why we must 
continue to demand that Congress pass the Block the Bombs Act as the 
first step in accountability and oversight.
  Do not be fooled into thinking that blocking bombs is no longer 
necessary. The only thing that will actually affirm a permanent 
ceasefire is the oversight that this body gives. It is needed more than 
ever because every Member of Congress should join us today.
  Mr. Speaker, as I prepare to close, I think about the moment we are 
living. I think about the children in schools who are wondering what 
the future will look like for them. I think about the responsibilities 
that we all took when we took an oath to protect the Constitution, to 
protect the well-being of our communities, to uphold the Constitution, 
and to honor our constituents.
  I have to say that these last 11 months have been painful. As someone 
who lives in the city of Chicago, I never thought that I would say that 
I knew what it felt like to feel like I was living under siege. As a 
Chicagoan under the leadership of Kristi Noem, we have felt like we 
have lived under siege.
  Mr. Speaker, I know firsthand what it feels like to have a Black Hawk 
helicopter surrounding my home every other day because they are getting 
someone else. They are arresting another mother in front of a school or 
tear-gassing someone else who is just recording.
  I know firsthand the terror that DHS immigration raids have had on 
our communities. We have been surveilled. People have been threatened. 
A 1-year-old was teargassed. A U.S. citizen child was teargassed. A 
pastor was pepper-balled seven times. People were subjected to 
warrantless arrests, precision immobilization technique maneuvers, 
kidnapped and disappeared.
  Neither Trump's administration nor DHS cares if a person is a U.S. 
citizen, a baby, a senior, or a pastor. There is no respect for the 
rule of law. Terror has been unleashed on American cities. They think 
that as long as they issue a statement with whatever fabricated lie 
that they have created that they can continue to get away with it. I 
want to give my colleagues three examples of what I am talking about.
  Mr. Speaker, on Saturday, October 25, border patrol agents 
aggressively disrupted a children's Halloween parade and terrorized and 
injured a 67-year-old U.S. citizen. They pulled him out of his vehicle, 
tackled him to the ground, and detained him, arresting him.
  On Saturday, November 8, ICE agents pepper-sprayed a family and their 
1-year-old child as they were leaving Sam's Club. It was a 1-year-old 
girl. She was a baby.
  On Friday, October 10, an unmarked vehicle, driven by Federal agents, 
crashed into Dayanne Figueroa's vehicle. They exited the vehicle with 
weapons drawn on her to forcibly drag her out of her car and arrest 
her. She is a U.S. citizen.
  Here is my question to my colleagues in the people's House. If DHS 
cannot be held accountable, if we can't do our oversight work, if we 
are obstructed from conducting oversight, if they are systematically 
undermining our civil rights and perpetrating violence in our 
communities, then what is Congress' responsibility?
  Mr. Speaker, let me say this: The answer is very clear. We must strip 
away every tool they are using to terrorize our communities. We can 
start with the taxpayer dollars they are using to harm Americans. It is 
time for us to begin defunding ICE.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

                          ____________________