[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 11656]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           IMMIGRATION REFORM

  (Mr. VEASEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to encourage my colleagues to 
do the right thing: to work across the aisle and take swift action to 
address the humanitarian crisis that our Nation is currently facing.
  As a parent, I look at the situation at our Texas border, and I think 
of the circumstances that would lead my wife and me to send our 8-year-
old on a dangerous journey thousands of miles away from home without 
us--away from his room, away from his toys, away from the things that 
he loves the most.
  Children awaiting their fates at detention centers are victims of 
crime, violence, and war, and we have a responsibility to address the 
root causes of their migration. Without a comprehensive solution, 
however, we will continue to face situations like the crisis that we 
see now at the southern border.
  For over a year now, House Republicans have refused to take up a long 
overdue overhaul of the immigration system that will streamline the 
legal immigration process, decrease the Nation's deficit, secure our 
borders, create jobs, and provide an earned pathway to citizenship.
  We need to put politics aside and work together to pass a fair 
immigration plan for the 21st century that honors this country's 
history as the land of opportunity, justice, and equality for all.

                          ____________________