[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 6592]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       HONORING OUR NATION'S IMMIGRANTS WITH MORE THAN JUST WORDS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 22, 2008

  Mr. RANGEL. Madam Speaker, this week New York City does what many in 
our country should be doing everyday. Across 7 days and more than 100 
events, the Big Apple celebrates the culture and achievements of the 
countless numbers of immigrants--past and present--who have come to our 
great country.
  They come from numerous continents, and countries, in a variety of 
hues, each with their own distinct histories, descendants of cultures 
that pre-date our society sometimes four or five times over. Despite 
the obstacles, they manage to quickly prove themselves and contribute 
to their communities in a number of ways. They and their children, 
their lives now woven into the fabric of this Nation, find success and 
across a number of fields including academia, business, law, music, 
sports and politics.
  Contrary to the hateful and divisive anti-immigration rhetoric that 
so open poisons our public discussion of the issue, the vast majority 
of immigrants are not a drain on our government or on our economy. They 
are in our military, in the reserves and on the battlefront, some even 
paying the ultimate price for their sacrifice of service. They more 
than hold their own weight economically by paying, according to the 
non-partisan Immigration Policy Center (IPC), more than 300 billion in 
federal, state and local taxes. They fuel our economy as both laborers 
and employers, locally generating more than 229 billion in New York 
State alone. That is a figure that represents more than 22 percent of 
the State's overall GDP, even though they represent a small percentage 
of the overall population.
  I see it every time I walk in my district, every day I am visiting 
another town or city in our vast land. That their contributions have 
and continue to positively shape our lives should not come as a 
surprise. What should are the ways that we continue to treat them, many 
of them like second-class citizens.
  Congress must lead the way in honoring this country's immigrant 
history by rewarding their hard efforts and their faith in the American 
Dream. The fact that it can take up to 20 years for a mother to see her 
brother or her child of more than 21 years is shameful. It's 
disrespectful to the generations who laid the foundation for American 
democracy at home and abroad that you could have more than a quarter 
million people shut out from voting this November, despite increased 
fees and promises of improved service. And it's an outrage that those 
who work hard to provide a stepping stone for their children to succeed 
can be easily deported because notices to appear in court get lost in 
the mail or because of a long ago misdemeanor that wouldn't even land a 
citizen behind bars.
  The debate over the millions of undocumented immigrants who reside 
here should not confuse our support of those that we have agreed to 
welcome with open arms. If we can't do right by those who follow the 
current broken system, what expectation should we have that anyone 
would or should follow a reformed one, no matter how liberal or 
conservative a plan that is devised?
  Soaring food prices, unattainable affordable housing, stagnant job 
opportunities, substandard and unaffordable education--these are issues 
that every family living in this Nation is facing. Whether they have 
been here for five generations or one, whether they speak one language 
or two, or whether it was man's cruelty or economic misfortune that 
forced them here in the first place.
  There are no easy answers or perfect solutions. Yet, if we can 
remember our past and remember the values that bind us all together, we 
can overcome these challenges and position this Nation for renewed 
success. The strength of any nation lies not just in the might of its 
military, but in the spirit and ingenuity of its people. All of its 
people.

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