[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 12]
[House]
[Pages 17003-17009]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           IMMIGRATION REFORM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 3, 2013, the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Polis) is recognized 
for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.
  Mr. POLIS. I thank you, Mr. Speaker.
  Before I get to my remarks, I briefly want to address the nuclear 
proliferation issue in Iran. The gentlelady from Minnesota, as well as 
myself, and the vast majority of Members of this body, have been 
supportive of crippling sanctions against Iran. Many of us believe that 
that has helped drive Iran to the negotiating table.
  We hope for, of course, a peaceful outcome that takes nuclear weapons 
off the table and prevents Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons; and, of 
course, we continue to keep the use of force on the table if our 
diplomatic solution fails to be enacted that reaches President Obama's 
objective of preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
  The issue has had strong bipartisan support, nearly unanimous, here 
in this Chamber, with regard to continuing the pressure on Iran to 
rejoin the responsible nations and renounce the acquisition of nuclear 
weapons.
  But I am here today to talk about something closer to home, Mr. 
Speaker, in fact, at home, Mr. Speaker, namely, the need to act on 
immigration reform. It has been 138 days since the Senate passed a 
commonsense bipartisan immigration reform bill. I was proud to be part 
of a bipartisan group of Members here in the House that introduced H.R. 
15, a companion bill to the Senate's immigration reform bill that makes 
additional improvements on outcome-based border enforcement and would 
address our broken immigration system and replace it with one that 
reflects our values as Americans, helps create jobs here at home, 
reduces our deficit by over $100 billion, and restores the rule of law 
here in our country, which is currently being undermined by the 
presence of 10 million, 15 million, 8 million--nobody knows how many 
people are here illegally.
  The issue will not resolve itself, Mr. Speaker. I call upon this body 
to act immediately and bring to the floor H.R. 15 and pass 
comprehensive immigration reform.
  Later on in my remarks, given that this is the week of Veterans Day, 
I will be talking about the contributions that many members of our 
military have made who are from immigrant backgrounds, including the 
talent that our military is missing out on today, including DACA, or 
deferred action recipients, who are able to work legally in our 
country, but are not allowed to serve in our military.
  H.R. 15 would solve that issue, and we will be talking about the many 
contributions that immigrants have made and continue to make with 
regards to our military.
  My colleague, Mr. Tonko from New York, is here; and I would be happy 
to yield to him for a moment.
  Mr. TONKO. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, Representative 
Polis, for bringing us together for what I believe is very thoughtful 
discussion about immigration reform, for we are by definition a Nation 
of immigrants.
  I believe that the passion that is the luring card to America is that 
American Dream. People for decades and centuries throughout the history 
of this Nation have pursued that American Dream with the opportunity to 
climb those economic ladders, those opportunities that present 
themselves in this country, where we are emboldened by immigrants; and 
certainly the military is no exception.
  Tonight, we will be talking about the empowerment that comes with 
H.R. 15, which is a very thoughtful piece of legislation. I am a 
cosponsor on that legislation. I believe it is important for us to 
follow suit that the bipartisan spirit in the Senate has already 
initiated.
  The opportunities for us to allow for, some suggest, 11 million, if 
not more, immigrants to pursue that path to citizenship is an 
empowerment tool. It is great for our economic recovery. As was 
mentioned by Representative Polis, it provides for a great dent in our 
deficit. It allows for us over the 20 years to come to experience tens 
of billions of reduction in the deficit, which is no short feat to be 
ignored. It is important for us to understand the economic vitality 
that sound immigration reform produces for this Nation.
  We are in need of many of the skill sets that our immigrants bring. 
You talk to the agriculture industry and those skill sets are there. 
You talk to the medical industry, you talk to the engineers that are 
required in this Nation, and many immigrants are assuming those roles. 
So it is important.
  We look at the tremendous history in this Nation of the military, the 
empowerment that came to this Nation, that comes to this Nation as we 
speak. There are our daughters and sons on the battlefield protecting 
our liberties, promoting our freedoms in this Nation to freedom-loving 
nations around the world.
  There has been an awesome sector within that military force that 
either is immigrants or those who are residing in this country and are 
not yet United States citizens. They have made a statement in the 
military history of this Nation. They have made a very strong statement 
of support of this Nation and all for which she stands. They have 
defended the banner that unites us as the United States flag. They have 
certainly made their mark.
  As of 2009, I am informed that there are some 114,000-plus foreign-
born individuals serving in the military. Twelve percent of them were 
not even United States citizens. So it makes a very powerful statement.
  I am a grandson of immigrants. My grandfather, William Tonko, served 
in World War I. I am proud of that history that he helped to write. He 
did that as an immigrant coming to this Nation, understanding that as 
he left Poland that there would be this American Dream that he could 
pursue.
  My colleague made mention of the DREAMers--a tremendous bit of 
nomenclature that we put on to people who were born here, perhaps, or 
came as youngsters and are denied opportunities.
  We have within the context of H.R. 15 the opportunity to empower 
DREAMers. They are allowed with certain programming now that we have 
with the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, with that program they 
are enabled to, perhaps, get a reprieve from deportation or be able to 
secure a work permit; but they cannot serve in this Nation's military.
  H.R. 15 would empower the DREAMers, people who know no other country, 
who have been raised here and want to serve but cannot.
  There are great improvements made in H.R. 15. I am proud to stand 
here with my colleagues who will speak in support of H.R. 15. It, I 
believe, provides a shot in the arm for our economic recovery. It 
provides military strength, as has been proven throughout our history. 
Twenty percent of all Medal of Honor recipients have been immigrant 
servicemembers.
  The track record is there. The data are speaking to the empowerment 
that comes to the military with those who have that passion. That 
passion of immigrants, that passion of naturalized citizens, that whole 
effort of those who are looking to be naturalized, believing in this 
Nation and all for which she

[[Page 17004]]

stands is a tremendous statement of who we are as a Nation and our 
definition as a clustering of immigrants with this quilt work of 
Americana that allows for the economic climb for the opportunities, the 
ladders of opportunity, called the American Dream.''
  That is the passion that fills our hearts and souls. They have given 
to this military, they have given to the fight for freedom, they have 
given to the fight to protect our liberties. H.R. 15 goes a long way to 
recognize that and further strengthen this Nation.
  I am happy to join my colleagues tonight in support of H.R. 15.
  Mr. POLIS. I thank the gentleman from New York for his leadership on 
the immigration reform issue and his impassioned words.
  We also have with us this evening one of the original cosponsors of 
H.R. 15, a leader on immigration reform, the gentlelady from 
Washington, Ms. DelBene.

                              {time}  1845

  Ms. DelBENE. This is an important moment for immigration reform. My 
district in Washington State is very representative of why we need 
reform. We have a northern border and a diverse economy with a rich 
agricultural industry, including dairy and berry farmers. In the 
southern part of my district, there are some of the world's most 
innovative companies, including technology, advanced manufacturing, 
biotech, and countless startups. These businesses have been making the 
case that fixing our immigration system must be a top priority for our 
economy.
  Whether it is an ultrasound manufacturer who needs an acoustic 
engineer or a video game developer looking for a 3-D modeler, companies 
in my district are in need of specialized high-skilled workers. We have 
to ensure that foreign graduate students can stay here to start new 
companies or support ongoing research that will lead to future 
breakthroughs in many areas.
  Also, farmers need immigration reform in order to find a stable, 
skilled, and reliable workforce to help us grow our food and our 
economy.
  That's why I helped lead the introduction of H.R. 15. This is a 
bipartisan bill with 190 cosponsors. In light of Veterans Day earlier 
this week, I can think of no better way to honor our Active Duty 
military servicemembers who are immigrants--currently, there are more 
than 65,000 immigrants, or 5 percent of the force--than by taking 
action on immigration reform.
  Unless Congress takes action, there are many DREAMers who were 
brought here as children and are undocumented who want to serve their 
country but cannot do so as the military can currently only enlist 
people who have legal status.
  The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that we talked 
about earlier that the administration announced last year allows many 
DREAMers to apply for a reprieve from deportation and a work permit, 
but it does not confer legal status, which means that recipients of 
this deferred action remain ineligible to serve.
  The American people want our broken immigration system fixed, and 
they are tired of congressional inaction. The time to act is now, and I 
join my colleagues in asking us to act as quickly as possible.
  Mr. POLIS. I thank the gentlelady from Washington for her leadership 
on this issue. This body's continual refusal to act on immigration 
reform sadly comes at a tremendous cost to our country and to our 
security as a Nation.
  The financial costs, according to the CBO--it is estimated that the 
Senate bill would reduce our deficit by over $135 billion, grow 
millions of new jobs, and boost our economy.
  In fact, in the 4 months since the Senate bill was passed, we have 
already missed over $5 billion in revenue and tens of thousands of 
jobs, jobs that Americans could use that have not been created, that 
don't exist today, because of this body's failure to act.
  In the spirit of Veterans Day, it is important to highlight the 
tradition of military service that the gentleman from New York and the 
gentlelady from Washington talked about. At a time when the military is 
facing recruitment issues, making sure we have the very best men and 
women to wear our uniform and defend our Nation, many individuals who 
fall under the deferred action program are not allowed to serve in our 
military. We are talking about DREAMers, young people who grew up here, 
might have been here since 2 or 5, and know no other country, are as 
American as you or I, many of whom want to give back, want to risk 
their life to protect their country, the only country they know, the 
country that they love, and yet, the military is not allowed to recruit 
them, and they are not allowed to serve.
  It has been estimated that more than 30,000 young immigrants would 
join the military and qualify for legal status if we passed 
comprehensive immigration reform. Key provisions of H.R. 15, our 
immigration reform bill, would have important and lasting benefits for 
our Armed Forces, and it has broad support from the military.
  For example, the bill would allow deferred action childhood arrivals 
to enlist in all branches of the U.S. military, including the National 
Guard, and be provided with an expedited path to citizenship in 
recognition of their service to our great Nation.
  Many immigrant servicemembers have become exemplary soldiers. Until 
2009, only citizens and permanent residents were allowed to serve. In 
2009, the Department of Defense introduced the Military Accessions 
Vital to the National Interest program, which allowed visa holders with 
high-level skills to enlist in the military and earn U.S. citizenship 
through their service.
  We are fortunate as a Nation to have talented and hardworking 
immigrants who want to serve in the military, but this opportunity 
today is largely restricted to special visas for medical professionals 
and language experts. While that improves the security of our country, 
it would be improved even more by passing H.R. 15 to benefit from the 
great potential and the tens of thousands of would-be servicemembers 
who are asking to give back to our country, who are asking to put their 
lives on the line to defend the country they love, the country they 
know, the country that they want to serve. Millions of aspiring 
Americans who want nothing more than to pay their fair share, who want 
nothing more than to give back to our country, to make our country 
stronger.
  It is time for us to find a way for DREAMers, for hundreds of 
thousands of other talented people, to pursue their dreams in the only 
country they know. Whether their dreams take them to the front lines of 
combat defending our Nation or to the front lines of competitive jobs 
in the private sector, or to other forms of public service, failure to 
take action only perpetuates an underground economy in which our Nation 
fails to benefit from the great depth of human capital and talent that 
resides in immigrants that are already here, are already in many cases 
working, and already in many cases are contributing members of the 
communities that they live in. It is simply a matter of formalizing 
that process and restoring the rule of law so that we have a legal way 
of facilitating the flow of immigrants to our country.
  I can reconcile that we are both a Nation of immigrants and a Nation 
of laws. Those two values that we have as Americans, a Nation of 
immigrants and a Nation of laws, far from being mutually exclusive, are 
complementary. H.R. 15 and the comprehensive Senate bill honor that 
tradition. That is why more than 70 percent of the American people 
support comprehensive immigration reform. It is why I am confident, Mr. 
Speaker, that placed before the floor of this House, H.R. 15 would pass 
today, would pass tomorrow, would pass next week.
  I had the opportunity to ask Mr. Goodlatte, as well as the chair of 
the Rules Committee, Mr. Sessions, yesterday in the Rules Committee 
what the plan was for immigration reform, why we were bringing forth 
bills with regard to asbestos, a legitimate problem to be sure, a bill 
that has passed this Chamber before, and a bill that will not likely be 
taken up by the Senate, but a bill that comes under the jurisdiction of 
the Judiciary Committee,

[[Page 17005]]

why are we spending days and days debating this bill rather than 
actually solving a problem of immigration reform.
  Mr. Speaker, I know there are victims of asbestos poisoning, I know 
there are companies that want to resolve this issue, but I can tell you 
honestly, I haven't heard from any constituents who called my office 
begging Congress to take up asbestos reform. It is an issue; we should 
deal with it. I hope there is a bipartisan approach. But not one, not 
one of my constituents, last week, last month, last year, not one, 
called my office and said: We demand action. We demand action on 
asbestos reform.
  Not one. Thousands--thousands--not only have called my office, have 
attended rallies in my office. I have never had thousands of people 
with the archbishop, with my good friend from Chicago, Luis Gutierrez, 
who joined us in my district, thousands packed a church for immigration 
reform. Thousands packed a church for immigration reform. Not one call, 
not one phone call, not one email, asking Congress to pass asbestos 
reform. A thousand people in an afternoon. We had to close off 
promotion because it filled up so much, not to mention the thousands if 
not tens of thousands of emails and phone calls and letters saying, 
solve this issue. Solve this issue, Congressman. Solve this issue, 
Congress; we don't like the fact that there are 10 million people here 
illegally. We don't like that we dishonor the rule of law. I don't like 
the fact that my cousin is in detention and might be deported even 
though he has American kids to support. I don't like that.
  You know what, Mr. Speaker? When we consider how unpopular this 
Congress is, it is no wonder that instead of acting on issues that 
Americans care about, we are discussing issues that, yes, we can 
discuss, of course, spend a day, spend 2 days. Are they going anywhere? 
I don't know, but issues that I haven't heard about. I certainly 
haven't had a church with thousands of people in my district calling 
for that issue. That's why we need to act.
  Mr. TONKO. Will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. POLIS. I am happy to yield.
  Mr. TONKO. The gentleman from Colorado speaks of the tremendous 
support of the American public to do immigration reform. I think it is 
very easy to understand. It is explained by the deep-routed sense of 
heritage in this Nation for everyone. Many of us can identify with 
immigrant roots. I believe that is what drives the desire to have this 
reform put into play. We talk about the overwhelming polls for support 
for this effort, and we are halfway through this battle because the 
Senate has made a major statement with the measure that they have 
brought forth, and so we can meet that opportunity here in the House of 
Representatives.
  Earlier, the gentleman from Colorado talked about the military 
strength that comes with immigrants, and cited many of the facts that 
really speak favorably to the shot in the arm that they give the 
military. We think of some of those unique skills that they bring to 
the military as the immigrant servicemembers. We talk about the 
opportunity to draw upon their second language proficiency. That is 
very important in service to the military. Certainly their greater 
cultural understanding, which is again a benefit that is borne by the 
military because of immigrants or those looking in some way at some 
time to be naturalized. They could join the military and provide that 
strength. We have a long history of decorated service, with 20 percent 
of all Medal of Honor recipients having been immigrant servicemembers. 
The list goes on and on. There is a lower attrition rate. There is 
proven data that are available.
  So this is a powerful statement, and when we think about the heritage 
of this Nation, when we think about that American quilt, there are so 
many patches brought together under one common banner of different 
cultures, of races, of nationalities, that really make a statement of 
who we are. So this is just a natural move forward to have an 
immigration reform policy developed here this year in Congress.
  Mr. POLIS. I would ask the gentleman from New York, just to make sure 
my district isn't atypical, have you gotten more letters or calls about 
the need to take up asbestos reform or immigration reform?
  Mr. TONKO. We have had many, many requests to move with immigration 
reform. It is one of the greatest bits of requests that we get.
  Mr. POLIS. Not to put you on the spot, but would you say it is more 
or less than people who have demanded that Congress act on asbestos 
reform?
  Mr. TONKO. It is much more.
  Mr. POLIS. So your district is similar to mine in that respect.
  Mr. TONKO. You are absolutely right. These are very legitimate, 
justified issues to talk about, but when it comes to immigration 
reform, people are saying: Look, let's get this done. We have many 
people who are developing great intellectual skills, they are getting 
great higher ed opportunities, and we are not taking advantage of that. 
We are not incorporating them into the American peoplescape. We have 
people who are assisting the agricultural industry, the engineering 
industry, the technical industry, the innovation economy, the medical 
health care industry, people need to fill these efforts with this 
immigrant power that is available.
  It is great to join you on the floor. I know there are many who want 
to speak their voice here, and rightfully so, because this is a very 
pertinent issue right now. Reform is very much required, and let's get 
it done.
  Mr. POLIS. I thank the gentleman.
  Mr. Speaker, I have a letter to submit to the Record from the 
Evangelical Immigration Table, and to quote in part, the Evangelical 
Immigration Table and the faith-based community, with strong support 
from the Catholic Church as well as from evangelical churches across 
the spectrum, have been strong supporters of immigration reform, from 
the pews and here in the Halls of Congress. The Evangelical Immigration 
Table endorsed value-driven immigration reform that respects the God-
given dignity of every person, protects the unity of the immediate 
family, respects the rule of law, guarantees secure national borders, 
ensures fairness to taxpayers, and establishes a path toward legal 
status and/or citizenship for those who qualify and those who wish to 
become permanent residents. I am proud to say that H.R. 15 honors the 
values of evangelical leaders, of Catholic leaders, of Jewish leaders, 
of Muslim leaders, of Americans across the faith spectrum, ensuring 
that our values as Americans and as people of faith are reflected in 
our immigration system.

       Dear Representative, The time has come to fix our broken 
     immigration system. We are pleased that the Judiciary and 
     Homeland Security Committees have worked on several bills 
     each addressing a part of the immigration reform puzzle. As 
     leaders of evangelical churches and organizations we write to 
     offer our support and encourage further bipartisan 
     cooperation towards enacting common sense immigration reform.
       Evangelical leaders from across the country came together 
     in June 2012 to form the Evangelical Immigration Table. The 
     Table has issued broad principles for reform, which have been 
     endorsed by prominent evangelical pastors, denominational 
     heads, leaders of national parachurch ministries, and 
     university and seminary presidents. We are working across the 
     country to educate and mobilize our fellow evangelical 
     Christians in support of a just and fair bipartisan policy 
     solution to immigration that:
       Respects the God-given dignity of every person,
       Protects the unity of the immediate family,
       Respects the rule of law,
       Guarantees secure national borders,
       Ensures fairness to taxpayers, and
       Establishes a path toward legal status and/or citizenship 
     for those who qualify and who wish to become permanent 
     residents.
       We applaud the significant progress toward legislation that 
     would secure our borders, marshal additional resources for 
     border enforcement and internal enforcement, and require the 
     Department of Homeland Security to submit, implement and 
     report on a detailed border security plan. The bills take 
     steps to elevate respect for the rule of law--strengthening 
     E-Verify, establishing a legal guest worker program for 
     agricultural workers, a more workable program for science, 
     technology, engineering and math (STEM) visas, and increasing 
     passport and visa security. We are encouraged by reports of 
     other bills being drafted that would address the need for 
     more low skill visas and the legal

[[Page 17006]]

     status of children, adults, and asylees; addressing these 
     needs is vital to fixing all the components of the current 
     system.
       The work the House has done on immigration reform thus far 
     is commendable. However, we remain concerned about several 
     provisions of H.R. 2278, The Strengthen and Fortify 
     Enforcement Act (SAFE Act), that could have unintended 
     consequences adversely affecting religious communities, law 
     enforcement agencies, and the people they are called to 
     serve. The SAFE Act, in its current form, criminalizes 
     unlawful presence and includes broad prohibitions on 
     ``harboring'' undocumented immigrants that could make 
     criminals of the family members of undocumented immigrants 
     and others, including fellow church members, who assist them 
     with everyday activities. This is a significant problem for 
     our pastors, faith leaders and others in our community, who 
     as an extension of their faith, care in tangible ways for the 
     immigrants (regardless of status) within their community. 
     Pastors, faith leaders and others in our communities should 
     not have to decide between following the law and giving water 
     to a thirsty traveler in the desert, providing food to those 
     who are hungry or giving rides to church for those without 
     transportation. While collaboration and communication between 
     federal, state, and local law enforcement is an essential 
     part of effective policing, it must be structured in a way 
     that fosters buy-in from those agencies and does not 
     compromise their rapport and cooperation with immigrant 
     communities.
       As you continue to work towards a complete legislative 
     solution for immigration reform, you and your staff are in 
     our prayers. We appreciate the complexity of designing a 
     system that meets our country's needs and that can meet with 
     broad public acceptance. Through Bible reading, prayer, and 
     public education campaigns we have mobilized a broad base of 
     evangelical support for immigration reform. But while 
     Congress debates reform proposals, immigrant families and 
     workers continue to suffer under our broken system. Now it is 
     time to finish the job. Please prioritize work to finalize 
     immigration reform legislation this year.
       May God bless you and your staff in the days ahead.
           Sincerely,
                                The Evangelical Immigration Table.

                              {time}  1900

  I now yield to the original sponsor of H.R. 15, a leader in this 
House on the fight for immigration reform, the gentleman from Florida 
(Mr. Garcia).
  Mr. GARCIA. I would like to thank the gentleman from Colorado.
  Madam Speaker, every day thousands of Americans risk their lives for 
our Nation, despite the fact that our broken immigration system rips 
them apart, rips their families apart by deporting their mothers, 
fathers, siblings, and spouses.
  In my home State of Florida, Rita Cote, the wife of a gulf war 
veteran, was detained by local law enforcement when she was translating 
between police and her sister, her sister who had been a victim of 
domestic violence. Instead of arresting her sister's assailant, Rita 
was held without a warrant, without being charged, and without seeing a 
judge for 7 days before being transferred to ICE custody.
  This is the spouse of a veteran, of someone who is serving in our 
Armed Forces. No one deserve this treatment, but certainly not someone 
who has faced the challenges of being a military spouse. Our Nation's 
veterans were willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to protect us. The 
least we could do is protect their families.
  At the same time, there are thousands of young people who would give 
anything to defend our country, the only country they have ever known. 
While these individuals with green cards cannot serve in the military 
because DACA doesn't allow for it, they are willing to do it; yet we do 
not allow it. These kids are an asset to our Nation, and it is simply 
bad policy to turn them away.
  Since 2002, almost 90,000 military servicemembers have become 
citizens. We should be welcoming them with open arms. All of those 
willing to fight and risk their lives for our great Nation deserve that 
respect.
  This is an issue that underscores the urgency with which we must pass 
immigration reform. Fixing our immigration system isn't about justice 
and fairness. It is about enhancing our national security and military 
readiness.
  There are enough Members in the House that understand the benefits of 
immigration reform. There are enough people who know that it benefits 
our Nation's prosperity and understand that we will do this inevitably. 
But with every day that passes, this problem gets bigger. The 
consequences of inaction become more costly. This body needs to stop 
hiding behind empty promises and start doing the job we were sent here 
to do.
  We recognize the sacrifices of America's veterans. Let's remember 
their loved ones who are left in the shadows.
  I want to remind my colleagues across the aisle that there is enough 
blame to go around, but here is what is clear: a Democratic Senate took 
up comprehensive immigration reform and passed a bipartisan bill. This 
would not be the bill that I would love. This would not be the bill 
that the gentleman from Colorado or the gentleman from California would 
love. Many of us could probably write a better bill; yet we took up 
this bill, and it got passed. The President has said he would sign that 
bill. And before this House, we have a bipartisan bill that has 190 
signatures. If the Speaker would allow it to come to the floor, it 
would pass.
  Mr. Speaker, we need you to yield here. You did it on Hurricane Sandy 
relief, you did it on the budget and fiscal crisis, you did it on VAWA; 
and it is time to do it now. Let the will of this body happen. Let us 
vote, and we will vote it through. The consequences are grave not only 
for our country, not only for the millions who suffer, not only for the 
veterans, not only for their spouses and family; but they are going to 
have a great consequence for your party. The time has come to let this 
be voted on.
  We have been given an unprecedented opportunity to fix our broken 
immigration system and make our Nation stronger. Now is the time to 
pass immigration reform.
  Mr. POLIS. I thank the gentleman from Miami for his impassioned 
words.
  It is rare, in my experience here, that more than two-thirds of the 
Senate can agree to solve an issue. They always talk about reaching the 
60-vote threshold. There are only 54 or 55 of one party. How do we get 
to 60? This was 68 votes, more than two-thirds of the United States 
Senate. This House could act tomorrow.
  As you know, Madam Speaker, what many Americans wonder is if it could 
pass, why aren't we debating it? Why aren't we discussing it? What we 
spend our time on and the bills that we debate in this Chamber are 
determined by the majority leader and the Speaker. That is why we need 
their ability to bring these bills to the floor. If people want to 
stand in opposition, let them be public with that and say they don't 
want to solve immigration. But I am confident that the votes exist 
today with support of more than a third of the Republicans in the 
Senate. I think the numbers would be similar here. I think it could be 
a quarter, it could be a third, it could be 20 percent of the 
Republicans in this body that would agree it is time to fix our broken 
immigration system.
  I yield to the gentleman from Miami.
  Mr. GARCIA. I just wanted to agree with the gentleman from Colorado.
  What is clear is that there are enough votes here to pass this. What 
is clear is if this comes to the floor, this will pass. What is clear 
is that Mr. Cantor wants a bill to pass. What is clear is that there 
has probably been no bill with broader support--probably since I have 
been in Congress, probably since the gentleman from Colorado got here. 
We not only have the Chamber of Commerce on our side, but we have the 
AFL-CIO, who is on the other side of the spectrum. We have the farm 
workers, and then we have the growers. We have almost every sector, 
including the religious sector. All of them are looking for a solution 
here, and there is only one man standing in the way. That is the 
Speaker.
  We ask, Mr. Speaker, for you to yield to the will of this body, yield 
to the majority, and yield to what is right for our Nation. We demand a 
vote. The Nation deserves a vote. Our country deserves a vote.
  Mr. POLIS. I thank the gentleman from Florida.
  It is not the desire, I don't think of any of us, of the Democrats, 
of our leader, of our Members, for this to be a political issue that 
one side is demonized on, that is used to generate political support. 
Rather, we would like to

[[Page 17007]]

solve it. We would like this issue to go away. We would like to fix our 
broken immigration system; but if that doesn't happen, of course 
candidates are going to run on fixing it and the American people, with 
overwhelming support, will elect candidates who want to fix it.
  If Members of this body won't lead, frankly, Madam Speaker, they will 
need to get out of the way, whether by their choice or whether by the 
people's choice. The Americans are demanding action.
  I yield to the gentleman from California, a leader on immigration 
reform.
  Mr. TAKANO. I thank the gentleman from Colorado for yielding time.
  The issue of immigration reform is a top priority for our Nation and 
rightly so. It will not only help our economy grow, but it will also 
help families stay together.
  I was taken aback earlier today when Speaker Boehner said that the 
Republican-controlled House has ``no intention of ever going to 
conference on the Senate immigration bill.''
  That is clearly at odds with what the American people want and what 
the American people need.
  I just want to recount a bit of my own history.
  Mr. POLIS. One way to honor the Speaker's word and not go to 
conference would simply be to take up the Senate immigration bill and 
advance it directly to the President. Perhaps we can also call upon the 
Speaker to honor his word in not having to go to conference by actually 
bringing the Senate bill before this body.
  The conference would not be necessary; is that correct? It would go 
right to the President.
  Mr. TAKANO. I believe so. Just bring it directly to the floor. We can 
bring that Senate bill directly to the floor and let the House work its 
will.
  The topic of our Special Order had to do with immigration reform in 
the military and veterans.
  I recount a very poignant part of my own family's history. All of my 
grandparents, both my parents were interned during World War II without 
trial in Japanese American internment camps.
  Despite this great injustice, many children of these immigrants, 
young men, volunteered for military service. They fought in the 100th 
Infantry, in the 442nd, suffered some of the greatest casualties, and 
were most recently awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for their 
service. These were young men who wanted to demonstrate their loyalty 
to this country and were given an opportunity to fight for our country. 
I think it is tragic that young DREAMers under deferred action are not 
allowed to serve the country that they love, where the language of 
English is mainly the language they speak, and the culture they know is 
that of our country, America.
  Just like the men of the World War II generation, Japanese Americans 
who fought for this country and all Japanese American fighting units, I 
believe that the children of immigrants today want that opportunity.
  Over the past few months, I have received hundreds of letters from 
residents in my district, letters from business owners, husbands, 
wives, and perhaps even most distressing, children. One letter I 
received is from a local teenager who wrote to me about her mother who 
will likely be deported back to Mexico in 2015. She said:

       It is going to be very hard to bring her back to 
     California. Her four kids need her back. She is a single 
     mother. She is the only person we have close to us.

  Another letter I received said:

       My stepfather's mother died of heart problems, so he had to 
     go back to Mexico to her funeral. He was there for a couple 
     of days, and when he tried to come home, it was hard for him 
     to come back over to California. It has been a while since we 
     have seen him. My mom misses him terribly. She cries every 
     time she talks to him on the phone. It has been 2 months 
     since he left to Mexico, which probably means he lost his 
     job. He is the main provider for our family. This is very 
     stressful and hard on my mom because she is not able to pay 
     the bills. It is hard for her to support us and be strong at 
     the same time. I hate to see her suffer and be sad all the 
     time. Families should not be ripped apart like this. Other 
     families should not have to go through what my family is 
     going through.

  Madam Speaker, these are letters from children whose families are 
being ripped apart.
  I also received a letter from a wife and a mother saying:

       I myself am one of those many families that unfortunately 
     have to go through this injustice. My husband was deported on 
     his way to work about 3 years ago, and during these few 
     years, it has been really hard for my new 5-year-old daughter 
     and me. The stress I go through every day is unhealthy, and, 
     unfortunately, my daughter has to go through it, as well. My 
     daughter really wants to be with her father, and it really 
     hurts to see her go through this situation.

  These are American families that we can help by passing immigration 
reform.
  The last letter I would like to read is from one of the largest 
employers in my district, the Blue Banner Company, a grower and shipper 
of California citrus. They wrote to me and detailed the difficulties of 
a recent crop of theirs when they faced a 30 percent to 35 percent 
labor shortage. Because of the labor shortage, less fruit was harvested 
from the trees in a timely manner. Because the fruit was harvested not 
at peak time, it was sent to be juiced instead of sold fresh for eating 
by consumers. This resulted in a total loss for their growers of $3.4 
million to $3.8 million.
  The letter goes on to say:

       We, California agriculture, desperately need a legal 
     workforce from which to hire.

  Reforming our immigration system will help businesses such as Blue 
Banner by providing a workforce that is ready and willing to work. 
Let's pass immigration reform and help families stay together and help 
businesses obtain the workers they need.
  Mr. POLIS. Madam Speaker, we have here another leader from the great 
State of California (Mr. Cardenas), my friend.

                              {time}  1915

  Mr. CARDENAS. Thank you very much for bringing together this 
important discussion on this floor of our Nation's Capitol.
  I think it is really important, Madam Speaker, for us to remind 
ourselves that the only thing that is stopping comprehensive 
immigration reform is the fact that, Madam Speaker, the leadership of 
this House is unwilling to allow the vote to take place.
  Today I am proud to join my colleagues to talk about the need for 
immigration reform but, more importantly, the cost America bears as 
Congress does nothing.
  We were sent to Washington to solve our Nation's problems, but 
Republican leadership has announced we are done and will not take up 
immigration reform this year. Madam Speaker, it is November 13. We are 
not done. We have 6 more weeks to work, just like all Americans. Why 
don't we just continue doing our job?
  Members of our Armed Forces don't get the liberty to say when they 
are done. There are no vacations or timeouts for them. They proudly 
wear the U.S. flag on their shoulder and continue to protect our 
freedoms, even when the leadership in our Congress decides that they no 
longer want to work.
  As of June 2009, for example, there were over 114,000 foreign-born 
individuals in our United States armed services serving our country. 
Over 95,000 of those individuals were naturalized U.S. citizens. They 
were not born in this country, but they went through the process of 
becoming citizens and serve our country proudly. More than 10,000 of 
those servicemembers are not U.S.-born citizens. They stand on the 
front lines because they believe in what America stands for. Let's get 
to work, pass comprehensive immigration reform, and earn the honor of 
their service and their sacrifice.
  Every day we await action on a comprehensive immigration reform bill, 
millions of dollars in potential revenue is lost to Americans in our 
country. Our farms do not have a stable workforce. Far too many high-
tech companies are short the workers they need to continue to innovate 
and grow American jobs.
  Our schools attract the best and the brightest from around the world, 
but when they get their degrees and want to stay in this great country, 
they are sent away, not allowed to start businesses and hire American 
citizens.

[[Page 17008]]

  In all, the full economic potential of undocumented immigrants as 
workers, taxpayers, consumers, and entrepreneurs is being lost because 
they are unable to earn legal status. And when we grow the American 
economy, we create more jobs for Americans.
  As many in Congress continue to deny the pressing need for 
comprehensive immigration reform, the broken U.S. immigration system 
continues to tear families apart, while simultaneously draining the 
Federal budget and robbing our American economy. Talking about 
comprehensive immigration reform is not enough. It is time for 
Democrats and Republicans to vote together on this floor and pass a 
solution that will serve all of America. The time for reform is now.
  The system is broken, and fixing it in an intelligent, bipartisan way 
is something that a majority of Americans want. Americans understand 
that deportation, or even self-deportation, is not an option. They 
support a pathway to citizenship. Even more support a pathway to legal 
residency. The American people want this solution.
  With the introduction of H.R. 15 in our House, a bipartisan bill for 
comprehensive immigration reform, we have reached a significant 
milestone for commonsense immigration reform. The bill is practical and 
fair and holds everyone accountable. The bill strengthens the border, 
strengthens the economy, and provides a pathway to citizenship for 
people who have lived, worked, and raised their families right here in 
the United States of America.
  We cannot wait any longer. It is time for Speaker Boehner to bring a 
comprehensive immigration reform bill to the floor of this House and 
let the will of the American people have its way. America deserves a 
solution. We are ready for a vote. It is time that our House do the 
will of the people, that we have a comprehensive immigration reform 
bill come to this floor and allow Republicans and Democrats to vote 
their conscience and pass that bill.
  Mr. POLIS. I thank the gentleman from California.
  And just to highlight how we can improve our security as a Nation and 
honor the tradition of contributions that veterans have made to the 
security of our Nation, by simply allowing young people loyal to our 
country, who have lived here and it is the only country they know, who 
are able to work legally under DACA, simply allowing them, if they 
choose to, to put their lives on the line for the country that they 
love, that will make us all safer, Madam Speaker, and is part of H.R. 
15 and comprehensive immigration reform.
  I yield to another leader in the effort to fix our broken immigration 
system, a gentleman from a large district in Texas that covers a lot of 
the border, my good friend, Mr. Gallego.
  Mr. GALLEGO. I thank the gentleman from Colorado for yielding.
  Madam Speaker, thank you so much for the opportunity to speak.
  This past Veterans Day, I had the opportunity to recognize and to 
thank those who served in the military with a duty to defend our 
country. I and all of us, I think, who serve in this Chamber have a 
duty to these veterans to defend their needs here in the U.S. Congress, 
and that would include the need for comprehensive immigration reform.
  I am very privileged to represent a portion of San Antonio, Texas, 
known as Military City, USA. This past weekend, at a Veterans Day 
ceremony at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, there was a different 
aspect of that celebration for veterans, because this past weekend, as 
we honored veterans on Veterans Day at Fort Sam Houston National 
Cemetery, there was also, at that same site, that same location, that 
same time, a naturalization ceremony, where 18 people, servicemembers, 
were naturalized:
  Eddie Rivers, Theophilus Botchway, Lily Alexandra Caceres, Tashique 
Williams, Kwaku Bosoah, Kenneth Francis, Jr., Nabieula Samura, Maria 
Cervantes Ramos, Carena Garabet Akridge, Larry Ndungu, Elkanah Yator, 
Mario Alexis Mares, Omar Ruiz Perez, Guillermo Chavez Cardenas, Marlon 
Chris Gabriel, Petra Maria Thompson, Gabriel Adjetey, all of those were 
involved in the Veterans Day naturalization ceremony.
  They came from Dominica, Ecuador, Germany, Ghana, Honduras, the Ivory 
Coast, Jamaica, Kenya, Mexico, Sierra Leone, Trinidad and Tobago and 
Syria.
  You see, each year about 8,000 noncitizens join the U.S. military. 
Their sacrifices throughout history have been many. Immigrants who 
served in the U.S. military are enlistees like Lance Corporal Jose 
Gutierrez, who was the first U.S. serviceman killed in combat in Iraq 
some 10 years ago. Mr. Gutierrez, who was a native of Guatemala, 
arrived in the U.S. without documents at the age of 14. He received his 
U.S. citizenship posthumously, after his supreme sacrifice.
  Others, like Alfred Rascon, emerged from the war as high achievers. 
Mr. Rascon, who was an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, was assigned 
to Fort Sam Houston for basic and for specialist medical training. He 
was awarded the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam war. He became a U.S. 
citizen, and he later served as Director of the United States Selective 
Service System.
  The list of stories of noncitizens who have served in the U.S. 
military is a very long list. Enlistments by immigrants are highest 
during times of war. At the end of the last decade, Madam Speaker, 
there were over 100,000 foreign-born individuals serving in various 
aspects in various capacities in our Armed Forces. That is why it is so 
important to recognize the contributions of immigration to our national 
security.
  On social media, through Twitter and Facebook, I made it known that I 
was at this ceremony on Veterans Day in San Antonio, where not only 
were we honoring veterans, but there was a citizenship and 
naturalization ceremony at the same time. And there were many comments 
about, How is this possible?
  Well, it is and it has been. In the years since 9/11 and the wars in 
Iraq and Afghanistan, we have, in fact, relied on immigrants in our 
military. Since 2002, over 89,000 military servicemembers have become 
U.S. citizens. Immigrants in the military and other agencies critical 
to our national security have served as translators, for example; and 
through their understanding of local communities and through their 
understanding of local customs, they have helped collect intelligence 
which better protects Americans, not only at home, but also abroad.
  Unfortunately, today the House leadership said that they would not 
consider immigration reform this year, and, frankly, that is a real 
tragedy. They said they wouldn't even consider looking at the Senate 
bill as a starting point to negotiate.
  H.R. 15, of which I am a cosponsor, has 190 other cosponsors and 25 
or so Republicans who have vowed to support it, and thus, the votes are 
there to pass immigration reform.
  In this time of excessive partisanship and excessive bickering, we 
have to find a way forward to do the right thing for our country, for 
our kids, and for our future. We have to figure out a way to succeed, 
even if we succeed sometimes in spite of ourselves.
  Especially in today's political climate, so many of us here in the 
House, we repeatedly talk about our commitment to principles, our 
commitment to fighting for what we, as individual Members, believe in. 
But the reality is that, in a House with 435 people and with 100 
Members of the Senate and an all-or-nothing attitude, many times it 
produces nothing, and that all-or-nothing attitude kills immigration 
reform. That all-or-nothing attitude produces nothing for children who 
have known no other home than the United States and are here through no 
fault of their own. It produces nothing of the estimated $775 billion 
in revenue and $125 billion in payroll from immigrant-owned businesses, 
and it produces nothing of the $175 billion in deficit reduction in the 
first 10 years after immigration reform is enacted or another $700 
billion in deficit reduction in the 10 years after that.
  Immigrants are so important to our country in so many ways. We say it 
all the time. We say it all the time. Ours is a Nation of immigrants. 
Immigration reform is critical to our economy,

[[Page 17009]]

to our families, and, yes, even to our national security.

                              {time}  1930

  Mr. POLIS. Madam Speaker, I am happy to yield to the gentleman from 
New York (Mr. Tonko).
  Mr. TONKO. Thank you, Representative Polis.
  Earlier tonight when we started this hour, I made mention of how 
proud I am of my grandfather, who was an immigrant from Poland. He 
added, along with his military colleagues, to the muscle of the 
military might of this Nation, and together, they were able to help 
serve this Nation so as to proclaim victory in the war that was to end 
all wars. But we know that that wasn't the case.
  Nonetheless, with that contribution to this country behind him, he 
returned home. He returned to build a life. He returned to build a 
family. He returned to build a community. He returned, like all of our 
veterans, to build a Nation. Why would we want to stop this pathway to 
progress? Why would we want to stop this pathway to economic vitality? 
Why would we want to stop this pathway to citizenship?
  You know, it is no wonder that so many from various perspectives have 
come forth, imploring us in this House, imploring the Republican 
leadership, to set an agenda that includes immigration reform. For 
everyone from the Chamber of Commerce to the Farm Bureau, from labor to 
the farm community to the working families of this Nation to so many of 
the businesses that have asked for sound immigration reform, let's not 
stand in the way of progress. We only ask the Republican majority in 
this House to set the tone, open to the discussion, because if it is 
brought to the floor, I am convinced that we will recognize, as 
Representatives, as leaders of this Nation, the true definition of this 
Nation, a land of immigrants.
  With that, I yield back to Representative Polis and thank him for 
leading us in this very important discussion here this evening.
  Mr. POLIS. I thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Tonko) for his 
impassioned words.
  Here in the spirit of Veterans Day week--of course we all honor our 
veterans every day of the year. This past Monday was Veterans Day. This 
week, in particular, we are honoring those who serve our Nation. I 
would like to share the stories of several immigrants who serve in our 
Armed Forces.
  This is Augustus Maiyo, who serves in Colorado with the U.S. Army 
World Class Athlete Program at Fort Carson. I am proud to say that he 
won the Marine Corps Marathon last year and led the team to victory. He 
is a runner and has done remarkable times and ended up winning it. He 
was fortunate to get the run done right before Hurricane Sandy impacted 
our Nation. We are proud, of course. I want to thank Augustus Maiyo for 
his service and for being a role model for so many others.
  One of the hats I wear in Congress is I cochair the U.S.-Nepal 
Caucus, and I am particularly proud to be able to share the story of 
Saral Shrestha, a Fort Bragg soldier from Katmandu, Nepal, who was 
selected as the 2012 Soldier of the Year. He came to the United States 
in 2007 from Nepal. He went to college in Nebraska, joined the Army in 
2009, and was deployed in Afghanistan.
  We should be proud of the contributions that our 2012 Soldier of the 
Year has made, himself an immigrant, an inspiration to all the men and 
women who serve, including those who were born in other nations.
  As many of you know, the contest for Soldier of the Year is a very 
rigorous competition. Shrestha has been promoted to sergeant since he 
began the competition. We are particularly proud that the announcement 
was made during the Association of the United States Army annual 
meeting in Washington, D.C.
  There were many others, Madam Speaker, that we would like to be able 
to share the stories of, who want to lay down their lives to defend our 
country and to serve with distinction but, under current law, are 
prevented from serving in the Armed Forces, even though under the 
deferred action program they are able to work, they are able to attend 
school in our country, and all that many of them ask is to be able to 
risk their lives to defend the country they love, the country they 
know, the United States of America. H.R. 15 and the Senate bill address 
this situation and would allow these brave young men and women to 
serve.
  It is time, Madam Speaker. It is time to bring this bill forward. It 
is time to have a simple ``yes'' or ``no'' vote. It is what the 
American people are demanding. The American people are not demanding 
that we spend our precious hours and days debating asbestos reform. The 
American people are not demanding that we only work a dozen days before 
the end of the year here in Congress. The American people are demanding 
that we solve problems.
  More than 70 percent of the American people support comprehensive 
immigration reform. It would improve the security of the Nation. It 
would honor the service of our veterans. It would secure our borders. 
It would reflect our values. It would improve our economy. It would 
reduce the deficit--and it would create jobs for Americans. What is not 
to like? Let's pass comprehensive immigration reform now.
  I yield back the balance of my time.

                          ____________________