[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 15779]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      OPPOSE ANTI-IMMIGRATION BILL

  (Mrs. DAVIS of California asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute.)
  Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise to oppose the anti-
immigration bill brought before us today.
  The supporters of this legislation would have you believe that 
immigration is a zero sum game--that for every door you open for one 
person you have to close it on another. That's what this bill aims to 
do by increasing the number of visas for STEM graduates while 
eliminating them from the Diversity Visa Program. This troubling 
precedent of creating visa offsets will foreclose the promise of the 
American Dream for countless immigrants.
  Our country remains the beacon of opportunity and freedom. For many, 
the only path to getting here is through the diversity program. People 
like Yulia, who is a constituent of mine, that lucky draw in the 
lottery was her best hope for coming to America from Kazakhstan.
  It is irresponsible, Mr. Speaker, to hold the much-needed--and I 
would say we need it--STEM visa bill hostage just to dismantle a 
program that has helped new Americans like Yulia. It's bad policy, and 
I urge my colleagues to reject the bill.

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