[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 11634]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              IMMIGRATION

  (Ms. DUCKWORTH asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. DUCKWORTH. Madam Speaker, last month, in Addison, Illinois, I 
held an immigration roundtable with 38 organizations that spanned the 
political spectrum. Attending were the chambers of commerce, the ACLU, 
local colleges, and municipalities. They all told me that now is the 
time to act on comprehensive immigration reform.
  My neighbors know that, done right, immigration reform can make our 
communities stronger and that it can provide opportunities for our 
businesses by expanding our workforce. Reform will make us safer by 
securing our borders. We can help balance our budget by letting 
millions of immigrants who are willing to make the necessary sacrifices 
become tax-paying American citizens. We must work together to provide a 
pathway to citizenship as part of any comprehensive immigration reform 
legislation.
  The Senate has passed such a bipartisan proposal, and Members of the 
House should reach across the aisle and do the same. We cannot allow 
partisanship and extremism to stop us from making commonsense reforms 
that are vital to the future of this great Nation. Now is the time for 
Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform legislation that is 
practical, fair, and humane.

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