[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 8]
[House]
[Pages 11634-11641]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 3, 2013, the gentleman from California (Mr. Cardenas) is 
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.
  Mr. CARDENAS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to talk about comprehensive 
immigration reform, but from a slightly different standpoint from many 
of my colleagues who frequently occupy this Chamber with their 
perspectives.
  Madam Speaker, we all know why we need comprehensive immigration 
reform, why we need to fix this system rather than depending on small, 
one-off solutions. Our system is broken, and we have to fix the entire 
immigration system now.
  Our farms do not have stable workforces; our borders are not 
adequately protected; far too many high-tech companies are short the 
workers they need to continue to innovate; our schools attract the best 
and the brightest from around the world, but we can't

[[Page 11635]]

keep sending them back after we educate them.
  We know what needs to be fixed and why. What will happen once we fix 
the problems? Very simply, our economy will skyrocket.
  Report after report, study after study says the same thing--the 
successful implementation of comprehensive immigration reform will cut 
the deficit, create manufacturing jobs and job opportunities 
nationwide, and create more than 100,000 American jobs every year for 
the next 10 years. We will see $832 billion being pumped into our 
economy over the next 10 years. As producers and consumers in this 
great Nation, undocumented immigrants grow the economic pie by at least 
$30 billion as we speak. Legalization would triple that number with 
various studies pointing to a $1 trillion impact on our gross domestic 
product right here in the United States over the next 10 years.
  Madam Speaker, I am joined by many of my freshman class. This past 
election, voters sent us to Washington to solve problems like our 
broken immigration system, and that's what we want to do. It's time to 
make immigration reform a reality, and it's absolutely time to let 
people know what that reality really means for their own pocketbooks--
those of both American citizens and immigrants. That's what we're going 
to talk about tonight.
  Madam Speaker, for those watching at home, they can get in on one of 
the conversations by tweeting us at #CIRmeansjobs. If our constituents 
have questions, we will answer them.
  With that, I look forward to an interesting and enlightening 
discussion tonight.
  I would like to start off by talking with my colleague from 
California, Congressman Swalwell. One thing I would like to ask this 
gentleman is whether he thinks comprehensive immigration reform will 
help not only create more job opportunities but also expand our 
Nation's workforce.
  Mr. SWALWELL of California. Madam Speaker, I want to thank the 
gentleman from California, Congressman Cardenas, for leading on this 
issue and for bringing together the freshman class on an issue that is 
important not just in California but across the country--the question 
about comprehensive immigration reform and whether it means jobs.
  We know that it's the right thing to do to welcome the 11 million 
undocumented immigrants into our country and to put them on a pathway 
to citizenship. We also know that it's good for our economy, and I am 
happy to be here today to talk about this. Everyone agrees right now 
that our immigration system is broken. It must be reformed, not in a 
piecemeal manner, but comprehensively to meet the needs of the 21st 
century.
  I represent a very diverse area, which includes the cities of 
Hayward, Union City, Fremont, Castro Valley, and San Lorenzo, 
California, among other cities. In those cities are some of the 11 
million undocumented individuals. These are hardworking folks who come 
here for the same reason that our ancestors came--to make life better 
for themselves, their families, and their children. We should welcome 
that. We should embrace that they are choosing to come here to America 
rather than to go to other countries. It's a very good thing.
  Tragically, right now, these undocumented workers are in the shadows, 
putting them at risk for exploitation and allowing for the unscrupulous 
employer to drive down wages for everyone. It's time to bring them into 
the open, to provide them legalized status, and to allow them to earn 
citizenship.
  We also need to reform our legal immigration process. For example, we 
need to stop forcing people who come here and study in America--in our 
classrooms and in our colleges--and become skilled workers in the U.S. 
to leave the country just when they want to stay and contribute. Not 
only is making these changes the morally right thing to do; but as my 
colleagues have been saying and will say tonight, it adds up for our 
economy.
  The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office analyzed the bipartisan 
Senate bill and found it would increase our GDP by 5.4 percent in 2033, 
or $1.4 trillion. It's not just the CBO. A paper published in 2012 by 
the Cato Institute found that comprehensive immigration reform would 
raise wages, increase consumption, create jobs, and generate additional 
revenue. It calculated a smaller benefit than did the CBO, but it's at 
least $1.5 trillion in extra GDP over 10 years.
  Comprehensive immigration reform is not only the morally right thing 
to do; it's the economically correct thing to do to get America's 
economy moving again, and I am honored to stand with my colleagues 
today to push for this needed reform.
  Mr. CARDENAS. Thank you very much, Congressman Swalwell.
  Next, we will hear from Congressman Ruiz from California.
  Mr. RUIZ. Thank you, Congressman Cardenas, for your remarks and for 
hosting this Special Order today to discuss the economic benefits of 
immigration reform. This is an issue that is very important to my 
district and to our great Nation.
  Madam Speaker, Democrats and Republicans recognize that our current 
immigration system is broken and that the passage of the bipartisan 
Senate immigration bill a few weeks ago sends a strong message that the 
time for comprehensive reform is now.
  Passing a commonsense, comprehensive immigration reform bill will 
lead to an economic boon in our country. Nonpartisan, independent 
studies have shown that comprehensive immigration reform will reduce 
the deficit by nearly $850 billion over the next 20 years and will 
reduce our Federal debt. Passing comprehensive immigration reform is 
being fiscally responsible. It will also increase economic growth and 
will strengthen our economy by expanding our labor force, increasing 
investment, and increasing overall productivity. It will also provide a 
significant boost to our tourism and agriculture sectors--two of the 
top industries in my district in southern California, which is the 36th 
Congressional District in the Coachella Valley and the Palm Springs 
area.
  Comprehensive immigration reform means more jobs and more opportunity 
for people in my district and across the country--but only if we act. 
There is too much at stake if we do not take action to fix our broken 
immigration system. It is time for Congress to put partisanship aside 
and work together to pass a meaningful comprehensive immigration bill 
now.
  Mr. CARDENAS. Thank you very much, Congressman Ruiz from California.
  One of the things I'd like to make sure that we understand is that 
some people believe that the low-skilled jobs that some immigrants take 
in this country are jobs that are taken away from Americans. Ask any 
farmer around the country, especially the members of the biggest farms 
in the country. Some crops have gone unpicked, which means that that 
affects the pocketbooks of every American when those crops don't make 
it to our kitchen tables. It's really important for us to understand 
that many of the jobs that are taken by some immigrants to this country 
are jobs that U.S. workers just will not take. I think it's very 
important for us to understand that, and there is a diversity of jobs 
that we will cover over the next hour.
  With that, I yield to Congressman Gallego from Texas.
  Mr. GALLEGO. Thank you. I, too, want to thank my colleague, 
Congressman Cardenas of California, as well as the other members of our 
freshman class, for this important time to talk about an issue that is 
critical to the border.
  Madam Speaker, the 23rd Congressional District in Texas, which I have 
the privilege of representing, runs some 800 miles along the Texas-
Mexico border. It encompasses 29 counties, which are bigger than 29 
States, and 10 of the counties that I represent are along the Texas-
Mexico border.

                              {time}  1930

  It includes five ports of entry: Eagle Pass, Del Rio, Presidio, 
Fabens, and Zaragoza-Ysleta in El Paso. No other

[[Page 11636]]

congressional district in the country shares a larger border with 
Mexico.
  The impact of the immigration debate, it's a tremendous impact not 
only on the 23rd District, but truly in all of Texas.
  There are many reasons to pass comprehensive immigration reform, but 
one of the best reasons is simple, straightforward economics. Let's 
take a look at the numbers.
  According to a 2006 report by the comptroller of public accounts in 
Texas, ``the absence of the estimated 1.4 million undocumented 
immigrants in Texas in fiscal year 2005 would have been a loss to the 
gross State product of $17.7 billion.''
  Recently, I asked our current comptroller to update that study so 
that all of the Members of Congress from Texas would have updated 
information during a very important policy debate. Sadly, she denied my 
request. But a more recent study from the Immigration Policy Center 
noted that, if all unauthorized immigrants were removed from Texas, the 
State would lose $69.3 billion in economic activity, $30.8 billion in 
gross State product, and approximately 403,000 jobs, even accounting 
for adequate market adjustment time.
  Economically, here's what comprehensive immigration reform means for 
Texas:
  It means that deficits decrease, while GDP, productivity, investment, 
and employment all increase;
  If the unauthorized immigrants in Texas were allowed to earn a path 
towards legalization, total wages in Texas would go up by about $9.7 
billion, tax revenue in Texas would increase by $4.1 billion, and 
nearly 200,000 jobs would be created;
  For every unauthorized person required to be legalized in Texas, more 
than $1,000 would be added to the gross State product in 2014, and that 
number would increase to more than $4,400 by the year 2020.
  Let's talk about the CBO score, because according to the nonpartisan 
CBO report to which the comptroller of Texas referred my office, that 
study notes that our country will save almost a trillion dollars over 
the next two decades with comprehensive immigration reform, more than 
10 million people will now pay billions of dollars in income and 
payroll taxes during the first decade alone, and we reduce the Federal 
deficit by $197 billion at the same time that we add $200 billion to 
the Social Security trust fund.
  In Texas, all of the key players are standing behind immigration 
reform. The chambers of commerce, the Texas Farm Bureau, the labor 
communities, the faith communities, and, frankly, public opinion. 
They're all singing from the very same hymnbook.
  Usually you hear the phrase that we should ``run government more like 
a business.'' A business doesn't make decisions on the basis of 
emotion. A business makes decisions on the basis of economics.
  Economically, comprehensive immigration reform makes perfect sense. 
Our Nation becomes stronger as more people pledge allegiance to our 
flag and commit fully to this Nation and our economy.
  The time is now. The right thing to do, if you care about the Texas 
economy and you want it to grow and grow and grow, you want to support 
comprehensive immigration reform.
  With that, I thank my colleagues.
  Mr. CARDENAS. Thank you very much, Congressman Gallego.
  It's very important for us to understand that this is an issue of 
diversity. And it's not just diversity of people from all over the 
country, but diversity of economics for the United States of America.
  It's no secret that we are the innovative capital of the world, but 
more and more every single day, every single year, we are depending 
more and more and more on technical people coming to our country to 
fill those technical jobs that are fueling hundreds, if not millions, 
of jobs in this country and creating tremendous economic benefit for 
our country. It's really important for us to understand that.
  I now yield to Congresswoman Titus from Nevada to speak to those 
issues and others.
  Ms. TITUS. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California for 
yielding me time, and I also thank him for organizing this Special 
Order.
  We've heard a lot on this floor and in the press and from our 
constituents about the moral, the social, the political reasons for us 
to enact comprehensive immigration reform, but we haven't done enough 
talking about the economic aspects, so this is a good opportunity do 
that.
  I'm very pleased to say that, in the Senate version of the 
comprehensive immigration reform bill, there is a provision that has to 
do with increasing H-1B visas. Those visas will bring with them 
increased jobs, which, of course, support the economy.
  A second part of that provision is also something that I've been 
urging my colleagues on the House side who are working on the 
comprehensive immigration reform bill to include, and that provision 
would use the revenue from these high-skilled H-1B visas to promote 
STEM education at minority-serving colleges and universities. You can 
just look at this chart and see how many new jobs will be created both 
in 2013 and 2014 by the increase in the number of these visas that 
would be allowed.
  If we increase the number of visas, we're also going to increase the 
amount of funds that come from companies that are willing to pay to 
bring people from outside the country here for these STEM jobs. I say 
let's use those funds both to create scholarships for low-income 
minority students who are pursuing STEM degrees and also to provide 
funding for American colleges and universities that serve those 
minority students. We want our new citizens to also be well-prepared 
citizens.
  There are colleges and universities all across the country, including 
several in the First District of Nevada, that are working hard to 
attract students to the STEM fields. Earlier this year, the College of 
Southern Nevada hosted approximately 3,000 K through 12 Nevada students 
at their annual science and technology expo to get local students from 
all backgrounds, including our minority communities, excited about 
careers in STEM fields before they enter college. Then in January, the 
University of Nevada, Las Vegas hosted a STEM summit to feature STEM 
research and to get students involved in presenting that research and 
their work in the STEM fields.
  These are significant and important efforts to promote STEM, but our 
colleges and universities need our help to expand and improve their 
STEM outreach and training. By increasing access to STEM education, we 
can help American and immigrant students gain the knowledge and skills 
they need in the sciences, technology, math, and engineering so they 
can compete for the jobs of tomorrow.
  This is particularly critical for minority students, who are 
significantly underrepresented in these fields. According to the U.S. 
Census Bureau, in the 2009 American Community Survey, only 12 percent 
of STEM workers in this country are African American or Hispanic. We 
can and should be doing better, because a strong STEM workforce is 
important to American innovation and competitiveness.
  So science and technology companies that are paying our government 
through the H-1B visa program to bring foreign workers to the United 
States to fill these STEM jobs should be making a contribution. Why not 
use these funds that they're paying to train Americans to have the 
skills to fill these jobs in the future? Providing scholarships to STEM 
students and granting funding to colleges and universities that serve 
minority communities to improve STEM programs would strengthen our 
educational system. It would help our economy and also our position as 
a global leader in science and technology.
  So I would urge the Republican leadership to immediately take up the 
mantle of reform, make it law, and include these provisions for these 
high-tech visas, using the funding for the visas then to train our own 
students, many in minority communities, including the children of those 
immigrants that we are working to help, for the jobs of the future.

[[Page 11637]]

  Fixing our broken immigration system is not just a moral imperative, 
but, as we are all discussing tonight, it's an economic necessity.
  Mr. CARDENAS. Thank you very much, Congresswoman Titus.
  It's really important for us to understand and recognize the 
diversity of people who are speaking on this issue today, but the one 
common theme is the fact that economically this is the right thing to 
do. There are many other reasons why we need to fix our broken 
immigration system, but the number one benefit to every American 
citizen in this country is going to be economic growth for every corner 
of our country.
  With that, I invite to the podium Congresswoman Sinema from Arizona.
  Ms. SINEMA. Thank you, Congressman Cardenas, for being a leader on 
this issue and for inviting me to speak today.
  Madam Speaker, Arizona is Ground Zero for the Federal Government's 
failure to address our immigration crisis with a comprehensive 
solution. Arizona has been waiting too long already. We deserve a 
solution now.
  Comprehensive immigration reform is the number one issue about which 
I receive constituent feedback. Over 70 percent of the feedback 
encourages us to get comprehensive reform done. In short, my district 
wants us to get to ``yes.''
  In our State, there is broad agreement among businesses and towns 
that conduct international trade, among schools that recruit 
international talent, among local chambers of commerce; there's 
agreement that comprehensive reform is an economic imperative. For this 
reason, Senator McCain and Senator Flake led a bipartisan effort in the 
Senate to pass a comprehensive bill. Our Senators worked across the 
aisle to get this done.
  Senator McCain and Senator Flake understand that securing the border 
is a critical component of comprehensive reform. Controlling our 
borders prevents dangerous criminal cartels who traffic guns, drugs, 
and people from entering our country. It also creates an opportunity 
for those who want to do good to join us and contribute to our economy.
  Business leaders at home agree that comprehensive immigration reform 
will help us meet our labor demands. It will create opportunities for 
us to recruit and invest in the world's top talent. This much-needed 
reform will fortify our international trade relationship with Mexico. 
That's Arizona's and one of America's largest trading partners.
  Mayors in my community are unified. They believe a hyperpoliticized 
border is bad for business and it's bad for our economy.
  We can no longer continue to educate young dreamers, cultivate their 
talent, and then send them to a different country where they're 
competing with us. Their pathway to citizenship is vital for our 
economy.
  When hardworking families are able to come out of the shadows and 
take part in the American Dream, our community grows stronger.
  Arizona's families and our economy depend on the U.S. House's 
commitment to a bipartisan solution. I call on my colleagues in both 
parties to put aside ideology and work to find a workable, practical, 
and pragmatic solution.
  Arizona has been waiting too long already. We owe it to our State to 
pass immigration reform this year.
  Thank you, Congressman, for yielding time to me to speak on this 
important issue.
  Mr. CARDENAS. Thank you, Congresswoman Sinema.
  It's really important for us to also recognize that there are many 
industries that you might not think of that have to do with benefiting 
the economy as a whole for your community. If you have any activity of 
tourism in your community, you need to understand that comprehensive 
immigration reform is going to benefit you, as well.
  With that, I invite Congresswoman Gabbard to take the floor.
  Ms. GABBARD. Thank you very much, and I appreciate my colleague from 
California for leading and encouraging this conversation to talk about 
the comprehensive immigration reform bill in a context that's much 
broader than has been talked about in many of the headlines.
  Madam Speaker, for all of us to understand and recognize the great 
economic benefits and impacts of this bill on our country, we have to 
recognize that our borders do not just consist of those on the 
southwest border, our borders do not just consist of those along the 
northern part of our country with Canada, but these borders exist in 
every single one of our international airports all across the country.

                              {time}  1945

  Anyone who talks to me, it doesn't take very long for them to figure 
out how much I love my State of Hawaii, and also that I enjoy hearing 
from other people how much they love Hawaii as well. Travelers to 
Hawaii spent $16.9 billion in 2011 alone, and generated $2.5 billion 
which went to Federal, State and local governments, dollars that helped 
fund and create local jobs and public programs, such as funding our 
police, our firefighters, our teachers, our infrastructure projects, 
and our convention centers, where we host many, many gatherings of a 
diverse group of industries from all over the world.
  In 2011, 160,800 jobs were created by the travel industry in my State 
of Hawaii alone. For every million dollars spent in Hawaii by 
travelers, 10 jobs are created. Everyone knows Hawaii is a tourist 
destination, but we have to realize the great potential that exists for 
our country to be marketed as a tourist destination as well, and what 
that impact will be.
  Unbeknownst to many people, there are tourism provisions in the 
Senate bill, this comprehensive immigration reform bill, that will 
allow us to create an additional 1.3 million U.S. jobs by 2020 and 
produce about $160 billion in economic output by the year of 2020.
  It's time for us to regain our share of the global travel market. 
From 2000 to 2010, the United States went from hosting 17 percent of 
all global travelers to just 12 percent. This is moving us in the wrong 
direction. By taking these steps that have been included in the 
comprehensive immigration reform bill, we can increase American exports 
cumulatively by $390 billion over the next 10 years.
  I would like to talk about a couple of the travel provisions that 
have been included in the Senate bill that will encourage tourism not 
only in my home State of Hawaii but in States all across the country 
where we have such great diversity of cultures and geography and 
communities that must be celebrated.
  The Senate bill includes reforms to the highly successful visa waiver 
program that allows additional countries like Brazil and Poland to 
apply for admission, enhancing U.S. security while also welcoming more 
visitors to the United States.
  This bill also expands the tested and proven global entry program 
that allows preapproved, low-risk international travelers the ability 
to utilize an expedited clearance process upon entry into the United 
States. This expedited entry for trusted travelers enables our Customs 
and Border Patrol personnel to focus their time and limited resources 
on inspecting unknown or higher-risk travelers.
  This bill also allows for expedited visa reviews for travelers who 
wish to visit the U.S. on short notice. And also, an important 
provision which will help service the limited resources of our 
embassies by including a pilot program that tests the use of secure 
video conferencing to conduct visa interviews, which would provide 
increased access to the United States visas for potential travelers. In 
this day and age of technology, this is a commonsense approach to this 
updating of the immigration reform bill.
  There are many more provisions that are included in this bill. It is 
time for us to market the United States as a destination for our global 
traveler community and create the jobs for our hotel owners, for our 
airlines, for the restaurants, and all the small businesses that will 
benefit from this, and create more jobs for our economy as a result.

[[Page 11638]]

  Thank you for the opportunity to talk about this growing industry.
  Mr. CARDENAS. Thank you very much, Congresswoman Gabbard.
  Some people say that comprehensive immigration reform needs to happen 
because it is the socially responsible thing to do. But one thing that 
our numbers show, and whether it is a conservative group or the 
Congressional Budget Office staff, they basically are saying when we 
pass comprehensive immigration reform, we are going to see places like 
Social Security go up in value and actually extend the life of Social 
Security with those additional payers. It is important for us to 
understand that yes, it is a social responsibility for us to improve 
our immigration system, yet at the same time, once again, every 
American will benefit.
  I yield to Congressman Cartwright from Pennsylvania.
  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Thank you, Congressman Cardenas. I want to say 
tonight that I'm so proud of my fellow men and women, new Members who 
have spoken in this Special Order hour so far on comprehensive 
immigration reform.
  Madam Speaker, it is obvious from the comments we've heard so far 
that the economic benefits of immigration reform are irrefutable. 
Sometimes you do have to follow the money, and the money speaks very 
loudly and clearly in this case--comprehensive immigration reform 
cannot be ignored as the correct solution. But I also want to mention 
that each and every one of the speakers who has been up so far has also 
said generically it is the right thing to do. I want to touch on that, 
if I may, this evening.
  In my own faith tradition when we think about what the right thing to 
do is, we look to the Bible. We look to the Good Book. In my mind, one 
of the most important passages in the Bible describes what happens on 
the Last Judgment Day. It goes something like this:
  When the Son of Man returns in all his glory, escorted by the angels, 
then he will take his seat on the throne of glory. All the nations will 
be assembled before him, and he will separate the people one from 
another as the shepherd separates the sheep from goats. At his right 
hand, he will place the sheep, at his left the goats. And to those on 
his right, he will say, Come, accept as your inheritance the kingdom 
that has been prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For 
when I was hungry, you fed me. When I was thirsty, you gave me drink. 
When I was a stranger, you welcomed me.
  This passage could not be more clear on the moral imperative of the 
day when we talk about comprehensive immigration reform. It isn't just 
that comprehensive immigration reform will reduce our deficit. It isn't 
just that comprehensive immigration reform will strengthen our Social 
Security and our Medicare systems. It isn't just that comprehensive 
immigration reform will increase our gross domestic product and 
strengthen our American economy. No, more than that, at the heart of 
our moral fiber, we know comprehensive immigration reform is the right 
thing to do.
  Mr. CARDENAS. Thank you very much, Congressman Cartwright.
  I think it is very important for us to understand once again that 
tonight we are covering many aspects of why comprehensive immigration 
reform is good for this country. It's really important for us to 
understand, and what I urge every viewer to do is to ask your local 
Chamber of Commerce how they feel about whether comprehensive 
immigration reform is overdue and whether or not we should pass such a 
bill. Also ask your local law enforcement agencies. For example, 37 out 
of the 50 State attorneys general in this country have all signed a 
letter saying Congress, please pass a comprehensive immigration reform 
bill. And please ask anybody from whatever religion you may be a part 
of, ask that pastor, ask that individual that you look to for that 
spiritual guidance to answer the question as to whether or not 
comprehensive immigration reform is something they believe should 
happen in this country.
  I think the answers will overwhelmingly be yes, yes, yes.
  Now I yield to Congresswoman Michelle Lujan Grisham from New Mexico 
to speak.
  Ms. MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM of New Mexico. I thank the gentleman from 
California.
  Madam Speaker, I could stand here all night talking about the many 
reasons why our country needs comprehensive immigration reform that 
keeps families together, provides a tough but fair pathway to 
citizenship, enhances border security, and that's in line with our core 
American values. But tonight, I'm going to focus on why immigration 
reform is good for the American economy and good for the economy of New 
Mexico.
  Nationally, it's estimated that immigration reform will create 
121,000 jobs a year and boost American GDP by $832 billion over the 
next decade. Nearly every day, we hear Members from both parties 
talking about the need to reduce our debt and deficit. Well, the 
nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has determined that 
comprehensive immigration reform will reduce our national deficit by 
nearly $850 billion over the next two decades.
  In New Mexico, comprehensive immigration reform will create 6,000 
jobs over the next decade and increase our GSP--gross State product--by 
$3.8 billion. These economic benefits and new jobs will have a ripple 
effect, leading to even more economic activity, higher productivity, 
more critical investments, better wages, and even more jobs for New 
Mexicans and Americans. Simply put, we cannot afford not to pass 
comprehensive immigration reform.
  Our economic future demands it, and that's why I'm glad that so many 
of my colleagues are taking to the floor this evening to make the case 
for comprehensive immigration reform because the American people need 
to know that it's good for the economy, good for business, and good for 
job creation.
  The Senate has done its job and acted in a bipartisan manner. Now 
it's time for the House to do its job so we can send a comprehensive 
immigration reform to the President's desk and finally fix our broken 
immigration system.
  Mr. CARDENAS. I thank the congresswoman.
  Next, I'd like to yield to Congressman Murphy from Florida. We've 
heard from a congresswoman from Hawaii, and next Congressman Murphy 
from Florida will speak. Tourism is an important economic issue tip to 
tip in this country, and Florida is no exception.
  Mr. MURPHY of Florida. First, I want to thank Mr. Cardenas for 
putting this Special Order together. I'm here tonight to call on the 
House of Representatives to pass bipartisan comprehensive immigration 
reform that would reduce our deficit and grow our economy.
  Madam Speaker, now that the Senate has passed comprehensive 
immigration reform with broad bipartisan support, it is time for the 
House to step up and do the same. Passing immigration reform will cut 
our Federal deficit and grow the economy. The Congressional Budget 
Office reported that the Senate immigration bill would reduce the 
Federal budget deficit by $850 billion over the next 20 years. 
Comprehensive immigration reform will also grow our economy. By 
expanding the U.S. labor force and America's productivity, increasing 
the number of available high-tech visas and increasing foreign 
investment, comprehensive immigration reform will increase our gross 
domestic product. It is projected that this will increase GDP by $1.4 
trillion by 2033.
  While not perfect, the Senate immigration bill is an important 
bipartisan compromise to address what is currently a broken system. I 
came to Washington to work across the aisle and find commonsense 
solutions just like this. Furthermore, the fact that this bill would 
reduce the Federal deficit and grow the economy should be something we 
can all agree on.
  I urge my colleagues to support passing the Senate's bipartisan 
comprehensive immigration reform bill.
  Mr. CARDENAS. I thank Congressman Murphy. I think it is important

[[Page 11639]]

for us to understand that every State has its unique differences, yet 
again, we are one Nation and we will all benefit from comprehensive 
immigration reform.
  I would now like to yield to Congressman Veasey from Texas.
  Mr. VEASEY. I thank the distinguished gentleman from Los Angeles, 
California, for hosting this Special Order hour on a very important 
topic, and that is immigration reform.
  Madam Speaker, recently I previewed a screening of ``The Dream is 
Now'' in Fort Worth, and Representative Castro also came to Fort Worth 
to join me on that. And I can assure you that the hundreds of 
constituents who attended the event represent a microcosm of 
undocumented immigrants in the U.S. who need us to act now on 
comprehensive immigration reform. The dream for 11 million people to 
come out of the shadows and contribute economically to the only country 
they've ever known rests in the hands in the United States House of 
Representatives.
  Immigrants contribute to our economy as workers, as future 
entrepreneurs, as consumers, and as taxpayers. Latinos account for 
increasing shares of the economy and electorate in Texas. According to 
the U.S. Census Bureau, Texas's almost 450,000 Latino-owned businesses 
had sales receipts of nearly $62 billion and employed over 395,000 
people in 2007, the last year for which data is available.
  Additionally, over 61,000 foreign students in Texas contributed $1.4 
billion to the economy in tuition fees and living expenses in the 2011-
2012 academic year. These monumental numbers cannot be ignored.
  In Dallas alone, immigrants accounted for 16 percent of economic 
output as of 2007, according to the Fiscal Policy Institute.
  If all undocumented immigrants were removed from the State of Texas, 
our State, the Lone Star State, would lose $69.3 billion in economic 
activity, $30.8 billion in gross State product, and approximately 
403,174 jobs, according to a report by the Perryman Group.

                              {time}  2000

  The Perryman Group is run by Ray Perryman, out of Waco, Texas, who 
has worked very closely with Rick Perry, who is really the face of the 
Republican Party in Texas.
  It's time to highlight the economic benefits of immigration reform 
and to further encourage those on the right to support comprehensive 
immigration reform moving through the House.
  In a time of economic hardship, it's hard to imagine that my 
colleagues on both sides of the aisle would be against expanding our 
economy, investing in American manufacturers, and strengthening 
American workers.
  I want to thank the gentleman for allowing me to speak on this very 
important issue. Let's not make these families and our economy wait any 
longer. The time for comprehensive immigration reform is now.
  Mr. CARDENAS. Thank you very much, Congressman Veasey.
  It's really important for us to understand, I keep saying, every 
corner of this country's going to benefit from comprehensive 
immigration reform. And you just heard from one of our Representatives 
from Texas explaining that there's actually Republicans in his State 
who actually realize the economic benefit and are urging comprehensive 
immigration reform now as well.
  Before I go to the next speaker, I must ask, Madam Speaker, how much 
time do we still have?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from California has 18 minutes 
remaining.
  Mr. CARDENAS. I yield time to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. 
Garcia).
  Mr. GARCIA. I'd like to thank the gentleman from California.
  Madam Speaker, it's been 20 days since the Senate passed 
overwhelmingly a bipartisan immigration reform bill.
  In the House Judiciary Committee, we've considered four controversial 
bills, none of which address the 11 million people that are already 
here.
  In south Florida, for example, there are thousands of Venezuelan 
families stuck in an immigration system with some combination of legal 
or undocumented status. They came to this country fleeing Chavismo and 
have since purchased homes, started businesses, and invested millions 
in our community.
  Earlier this year, I introduced a bill, the Venezuelan Liberty Act, 
which would allow any Venezuelan who had been in the United States 
since Chavez was elected to adjust to permanent-resident status. This 
is similar to what Congress passed in 1997 with the Nicaraguan 
Adjustment Act and the Central American Relief Act.
  However, because we have yet to consider any sort of legalization 
path, the House Judiciary Committee has not yet had the opportunity to 
consider this bill as an amendment or to debate on how best to bring 
people out of the shadows.
  And Venezuelans aren't alone. The Haitians, the Africans, the Central 
Americans on TPS, the young people who are covered under DACA continue 
to live their lives in immigration limbo while the House has yet to 
act.
  Immigration reform isn't about politics. It's about our Nation's 
values. It's about our economy. It's about our future.
  The recent White House report and last month's CBO report confirmed 
what my constituents in south Florida already know: our Nation's 
livelihood depends on fixing our broken immigration system.
  The Center for American Progress projected that immigration reform 
would generate over 8,000 additional jobs per year in Florida and that 
current Florida citizens would see an increase in wages of $6.3 billion 
over the next 10 years.
  We may not agree on everything, but we cannot afford to wait any 
longer. Passing immigration reform will spur innovation, lower our 
deficit, and raise wages for all workers.
  As if the voices of many DREAMers who have recently descended on 
Washington aren't enough, business leaders, law enforcement officials, 
farmers, clergy throughout the U.S. have urged Congress to take action.
  It's time to move this Nation forward. I urge the House leadership to 
bring immigration reform to the floor.
  The time has come. Ha llegado la hora.
  Mr. CARDENAS. Thank you very much, Congressman Garcia.
  Next I'll yield time to the gentleman from California (Mr. Vargas).
  Mr. VARGAS. I want to thank the gentleman from California for 
yielding to allow me to speak on this very important issue to 
California.
  But I especially want to thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for 
putting it in the context of our faith and our faith communities and 
our faith tradition. He, of course, quoted famously from Matthew 25. He 
could have quoted from Leviticus. In fact, I would like to do that now, 
from Leviticus 19:33-34:

       When an alien resides among you in your land, do not 
     mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be 
     treated as your native born. Love them as yourself for you 
     were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.

  And I have to ask, are we keeping that commandment?
  Are we keeping that rule?
  Are we keeping that pronouncement?
  Of course we're not. I wish that we were.
  Immigration reform is vital to the economy of our country and, in 
particular, to California and my district. California is unique in that 
it is home to the technology industry, which relies heavily and highly 
on skilled talent and has an incredibly successful agriculture 
industry, which needs a temporary worker program that provides a 
predictable workforce.
  The more California business leaders I speak with, the more apparent 
it is that immigration reform is the key to stimulating our economy and 
encouraging job growth.
  Ruben Barrales, the immediate past president and CEO of the San Diego 
Regional Chamber of Commerce and current head of the Republican 
Political Action Committee, GROW Elect said:

       It is the responsibility of national leaders to modernize 
     our immigration laws to help the United States remain 
     competitive in the global economy.

[[Page 11640]]

       Comprehensive immigration reform should help to attract and 
     retain highly skilled immigrants, and should provide some 
     pathway to legalization for qualified undocumented 
     immigrants.
       We must welcome immigrants, who continue to strengthen our 
     economy and reinvigorate our society.

  The California Chamber of Commerce is also acutely aware of the 
immense value that surrounds successful immigration reform. The 
California Chamber of Commerce, along with 29 other chambers, including 
the El Centro Chamber in my district, signed a letter stating that they 
stand united in adopting comprehensive reform.
  The letter states:

       Immigration reform is especially important to California as 
     there are approximately 2.6 million undocumented immigrants 
     in California, 23 percent of the Nation's total.
       The uncertainty over their legal status is a drag on our 
     economy and, if resolved, would stimulate consumer spending 
     and investment.

  Many of those who are in California have called our State home for 
more than 10 years, becoming Americans in all but legal status. 
Californians would benefit from more than 18,000 jobs created each year 
as a result of comprehensive immigration reform, according to a 2013 
study by the Center for American Progress.
  Moreover, California would see a 10-year cumulative increase in gross 
state product of $125.5 billion, an increase of earnings of all 
California residents of $68.2 billion, and, finally, an increase in 
taxes paid by undocumented immigrants by $5.22 billion.
  There is no denying that immigration reform is an economically sound 
decision, and I urge my Republican colleagues to work with us to 
achieve real, valuable, economically beneficial immigration reform.
  And I respectfully ask that, again, they look at their own faith 
because that's really the basis of this. We know it's the right thing 
to do.
  Look to Genesis. Look to Leviticus. Look especially to Matthew 25, 
and you'll see in your hearts, this is the right thing to do.
  Mr. CARDENAS. Thank you very much, Congressman Vargas.
  I'll yield time to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Castro). And I'd 
like to ask Congressman Castro if he can help me answer the question a 
young lady tweeted on this, as we're commenting tonight from the floor.
  Brenda asked, What are you doing for children who came here through 
no fault of their own?
  Congressman Castro.
  Mr. CASTRO of Texas. Well, Congressman, thank you for that question, 
and thank you for your work on this issue.
  Madam Speaker, in the Senate bill that was passed recently, there is 
relief for students known as DREAMers, those who were brought here as 
young kids through no fault of their own and through no choice, and now 
find themselves undocumented, with no way, oftentimes, to go to college 
or to pursue their career dreams. These are folks who are literally in 
a kind of limbo.
  And so what we should do is offer them a path to citizenship to allow 
them to become American citizens. This country is, after all, for the 
overwhelming majority of them, the only country they've ever called 
home. It's the only place they know as home; and this is an issue, I 
think, that tugs at the conscience of Americans.
  And most polls show that an overwhelming majority of Americans 
support a path to citizenship for DREAM Act students.
  So I hope, Congressman Cardenas, that what we can do in the House of 
Representatives is follow the example of the Senate, work in a 
bipartisan manner, and offer relief for these DREAM Act students who 
are caught in limbo, who, through no fault of their own, are here in 
the United States of America, who call our country home, who are proud 
to be Americans, and who deserve a chance to become full-fledged 
citizens.
  I would also point out, you know, as I said before, that there are 
very compelling moral and economic reasons to support comprehensive 
reform.
  I represent San Antonio, Texas, here in Congress. And of all the 
States in the Nation, I believe that Texas has the most to gain or lose 
by what happens on this issue. The reason I say that is that we have 
the longest border with Mexico, for example, 1,200 miles.
  We do the most trade with Latin America, and there are four or five 
major American industries and Texas industries, everything from the 
high-tech industry in Austin, just as you have one in California in 
Silicon Valley, to the agricultural industry, the construction 
industry, the hospitality industry. These major American industries 
literally would not exist the way they do but for immigrant labor.
  And I want to give you the best example of that. The agricultural 
industry self-reports that 50 percent of its workers are undocumented. 
And so when States like Alabama and Georgia pass laws that essentially 
led immigrants to flee those States, their agricultural industries paid 
a very steep price. So those are the stakes that we're dealing with on 
this issue.
  I am hoping that House Republicans will join Democrats who have been 
pushing for comprehensive reform for quite some time now, join us in 
coming to a solution that does more than just incite fear or scare 
people, and actually tries to resolve this issue in a pragmatic way for 
the Nation.
  Mr. CARDENAS. Thank you very much, Congressman Castro.
  I'd like to thank all of my colleagues who spoke here tonight.
  And thank you, Madam Speaker, for affording us the opportunity to 
speak to the American public and to actually explain this very, very 
critical, important economic benefit to our great country.
  I'd like to thank my colleagues, my fellow Americans, for speaking 
out tonight and explaining to every American of our great country that 
comprehensive immigration reform benefits you. Every single person born 
in this country will benefit tremendously from passage of comprehensive 
immigration reform.
  I think it's important for us to understand that, to many of us 
American-born citizens, this is a very important issue. It's about 
economics, but it's also an emotional issue as well.
  I'm very, very proud to say that I was born in this country, and I 
thank my parents for coming to California and for raising me in 
California as an American citizen, even though they were raised in 
Mexico.
  I think it's important for us to understand that I'm proud of growing 
up in a family where my father owned a business, and he taught me and 
explained to me, with his first-grade education in Mexico, he told me 
time and time again, as well as telling my 10 brothers and sisters, you 
have an opportunity for an education. You need to take advantage of 
that opportunity, and we did.
  I'm very proud to say that my mother had a second-grade education, my 
father had a first-grade education, but their children now have 
doctorate degrees, master's degrees, bachelor's degrees, engineers, 
teachers, psychologists, all raised in one humble home in Pacoima.

                              {time}  2015

  That is the American experience, ladies and gentlemen. And one thing 
that I'm very proud to say as well about our 10 families, now that 
we're raising our own American families, every single one of our 
households pays more annually in taxes than my mother and father's home 
ever made in one given year. I'll say that again. From a humble home 
where a man and a woman together raised their children, their entire 
annual income did not equal the amount of taxes that each one of their 
sons and daughters now pay today.
  To me, that's the exclamation point on everything we've talked about 
tonight. We've talked about how important it is to the Social Security 
system. It will boost that. We talked about how it is to the deficit 
that we hear about on this floor so many times. It will actually erase 
$850 billion from our U.S. deficit.
  There are so many benefits that will benefit not only our coffers 
here in Washington, which benefits America, but will actually benefit 
hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of American-

[[Page 11641]]

born citizens that will work in those industries that are created and 
spearheaded by immigrants to this country.
  And I must say this. I would like to read a few of the names of 
immigrants born outside of this country who created businesses in this 
country that many of us use everyday and recognize:
  Sergey Brin from Russia, cofounder of Google;
  Pierre Omidyar, an Iranian immigrant from France, one of the 
cofounders of eBay, Inc.;
  Jerry Yang from Taiwan, cofounder of Yahoo;
  James L. Kraft, a Canadian, cofounder of Kraft Foods, Inc.;
  Levi Strauss, a man from Germany, founder of Levi-Strauss in 
California;
  Liz Claiborne from Belgium, founder of Liz Claiborne, Inc. If you 
think clothes don't mean much, that's a United States company worth $5 
billion;
  Andrew Grove from Hungary, cofounder of Intel, a company worth $112 
billion;
  Kevork S. Hovnanian from Iraq, founder of Hovnanian Enterprises, a 
homebuilder that in 2011 had revenues of $1.1 billion.
  And the list goes on and on and and on. Every single one of those 
individuals made their second life here in our great country. And it's 
because there was a time that in this country we embraced everyone from 
around the world. And all we asked of them is that they just obey the 
laws once they are here and that they do well with the opportunities 
that our great country affords every human being when they are here.
  We have one of the highest standards of living in the world. And 
there's a reason for that. Because there was a time for many, many 
years that we welcomed people to our shores. At this time where we just 
reopened the Statute of Liberty, it's time for us to embrace people 
from around the world and for us to recognize it's not just about doing 
the right thing for them. It is the right thing for every American 
citizen born in this country. The benefits economically are tremendous.
  There are no losers, ladies and gentlemen, when it comes to the 
United States Congress doing the right thing. Let's put a comprehensive 
immigration bill through our process and on the desk of this President 
and let's watch this country thrive. Our great country deserves it.
  Once again, I would like to thank everybody who participated, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.

                          ____________________