[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 11043-11044]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             IN SUPPORT OF COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. GENE GREEN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 25, 2014

  Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the 
thousands of mixed status families in Houston and Harris County, Texas 
who have needlessly been torn apart by our nation's broken immigration 
laws and call for this House to pass comprehensive immigration reform 
in 2014.

[[Page 11044]]

  Nearly one year ago today, the United States Senate passed bipartisan 
immigration reform, S. 744, that would strengthen border protection and 
deter unauthorized crossings while providing a pathway to normalization 
and citizenship for those who have resided in our country for many 
years and met several requirements, including learn English, pay back 
taxes, and not commit any serious crimes.
  This is not, as some opponents of reform have claimed, amnesty. This 
is earned normalization--earned through a long and documented 
commitment to becoming an American. The requirements and length of time 
necessary to obtain a green card in the Senate bill and its House 
companion, H.R. 15, are far more stringent than those set in the 1986 
immigration reform that was signed into law by President Reagan.
  Our district office in Houston handles hundreds of heart-wrenching 
immigration cases a year, including stories of high school 
valedictorians and military service veterans deported because they have 
no recourse and the system does not provide any discretion to consider 
their value to our society.
  Comprehensive immigration reform, Mr. Speaker, is not only pro-
family. It is also pro-jobs and pro-deficit reduction. The 
Congressional Budget Office found that enactment of CIR would reduce 
the deficit by nearly a trillion dollars and increase economic growth 
by 3.3 percent in 2023 and 5.4 percent in 2033. CIR would also add 
several years to the funds available in the Medicare and Social 
Security Trust Funds.
  These findings verify what immigration reform experts have said for 
years--that reform would help grow the economy and create jobs for all 
Americans, native born and naturalized.
  I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to stand with 
American families, American businesses, and our nation's cherished 
history as a land open to immigrants, and call for a floor vote on 
immigration reform this year.

                          ____________________