[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 14]
[House]
[Page 19645]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              HURRICANE KATRINA AND THE IMPACT ON LATINOS

  (Ms. SOLIS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. SOLIS. Mr. Speaker, last week the world witnessed the devastating 
impact of one of the greatest calamities the United States has ever 
faced. Hurricane Katrina left hundreds of thousands of people without 
their livelihood and homes and many more without a sense of hope and 
esperanza.
  As shelters across the United States open their arms to evacuees, we 
must remember all the vulnerable communities which are suffering 
tremendously in the wake of this natural disaster, including the 
immigrant population that resides in the embattled areas of the Nation.
  More than 150,000 Hondurans, 100,000 Mexicans, and a host of other 
individuals who live in that particular area, these are immigrants and 
their families who have contributed significantly to the social and 
economic fabric of the gulf coast, working in casinos, on farms, in 
hotels, construction sites, and also in janitorial services. I feel 
strongly that these immigrants and their families cannot be forgotten 
in this crisis.
  Just as we embrace all the victims of disaster, I hope and I know 
that the Federal Government will do the same without regard to race, 
ethnicity, and country of origin. Let us not forget that these 
individuals contribute every single day to our Nation.

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