[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 5059]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1230
                       HUMANE IMMIGRATION REFORM

  (Mr. VARGAS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. VARGAS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to thank the faith-based communities 
in this country for praying for a humane and just immigration reform. 
We heard from the Chaplain today in his prayer, and we probably all 
caught the three references. The first one was from Leviticus 19, the 
issue of treating the foreign born as your own. Then we heard the 
Hebrews treating the stranger, treat him well because he may be the 
angel among you. And then of course, lastly, Matthew 25, treating the 
stranger because that's how you're going to be judged.
  I want to thank each and every pastor, each and every priest, each 
and every rabbi that has been praying for us on this issue. I think 
that hardened hearts are changing here. Certainly the debate that we've 
been having has been humane. Much of the leadership has come from a 
bipartisan group of Democrats and Republicans with open hearts, and I 
appreciate that. And that has not happened by itself. It has happened 
because of the prayers and the supplication of all of these people 
around the Nation saying we have to do something that matches our 
values.

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