[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 5795]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1210
                           IMMIGRATION REFORM

  (Mr. VARGAS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. VARGAS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of comprehensive 
immigration reform, and I especially want to thank the faith 
communities. In particular, I want to thank the evangelical churches 
that were here last week.
  There were over 300 either pastors or members of their church here, 
and I would like to read some of the things they had to say from the 
Christian Post. Over 300 evangelicals representing 25 States gathered 
in the Nation's Capitol Wednesday for worship, prayer, and meeting with 
Members of Congress in an effort to bring about comprehensive 
immigration reform.
  ``We're here to say that immigration reform has strong evangelical 
support,'' said the Reverend Gabriel Salguero.
  There were a number of very important pastors here along with Dr. 
Richard Land, pastor and also a member of the Southern Baptist 
Convention.
  Pastor Kenton Beshore writes this, describing how ministries and the 
church have worked with children in his community who are living 
without a parent due to immigration laws that have broken apart their 
families: ``This has to change.''
  The pastor is correct--this has to change.
  I want to thank all the faith communities. They are united to make 
sure that we have a comprehensive immigration reform that reflects our 
values, and I'd like to thank them.

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