[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 9439-9440]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        IMMIGRANT HERITAGE MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 11, 2015

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemorate Immigrant 
Heritage Month and salute the contributions of immigrants to the never 
ending glory and story of America.
  I stand in solidarity with our immigrant soldiers who have fought to 
defend and extend our freedoms from the shores of the Atlantic to the 
Pacific, in the deserts of Africa and the jungles of Asia, to the seas 
of the Persian Gulf.
  I stand in solidarity with our immigrant innovators and entrepreneurs 
who make up over 40 percent of the CEO of the Fortune 500 companies, 
which employ over 3 million of our fellow citizens.
  And I stand in solidarity with the children of our immigrants who 
will be an integral part of our nation's future achievements.
  This is why I have consistently introduced legislation such as H.R. 
1525, ``Save America Comprehensive Immigration Act of 2013,'' which 
sets forth a comprehensive and humane solution to immigrant reform.
  This legislation works to secure our borders and brings close to 12 
million illegal immigrants out of the shadows of society through earned 
access to legalization.
  Our country has made progress because of the work and determination 
of immigrants and we owe it to them and ourselves to maintain a system 
that allows immigrants to prosper within our borders through approved 
legal processes.
  In 1884 a Serbian immigrant name Nikola Tesla worked with American 
innovator Thomas Edison and would later contribute to the development 
of the alternating-current electrical system.
  A son of an immigrant slave, Benjamin Banneker would grow up to be a 
scientist, surveyor, and author; these pioneers of their fields have 
helped advance the American economy through innovation.
  We are a more prosperous nation because of the contributions from 
immigrants who helped build this country, but we have not done enough.
  President Obama has used his executive powers to provide more 
resources for border security, modernizing the legal immigration system 
for workers, employers, and students, and focusing enforcement on the 
real threats to security.
  Although more remains to be done to realize the full promise of the 
America dream for many immigrants, we continue to fight for those who 
are already contributing members of their communities to ensure there 
is a safe and legal path to the ultimate goal of full citizenship.
  The unity of families is an essential American value and should be 
one of the fundamentals of immigration reform, along with increasing 
the diversity of immigration from parts of the world that have been 
historically underrepresented such as the Caribbean, Africa, and Haiti.
  Mr. Speaker, my district is home to the most racially and ethnically 
diverse metropolitan area in the nation, and as a result I celebrate 
our immigrant leaders such as Texas Representative Hubert Vo, born in 
South Vietnam, graduate of the University of Houston, and now public 
servant for the people of District 149.
  I celebrate Joseph Pulitzer a Hungarian immigrant soldier who served 
in the Civil War under the Union Army whose contributions would leave a 
legacy of literary excellence; Hakeem Olajuwon a Nigerian native and 
celebrated athlete of Houston who led the Houston Rockets to the NBA 
championship in 1994 and 1995, and the countless others who have made 
significant impacts that have advanced our nation.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to acknowledge the achievements of just a few 
of the countless Americans who have braved the seas and sands to build 
a new life in America and enrich the cultural tapestry of the greatest 
nation on earth.
  I recognize that our nation would not enjoy the freedoms we have 
today without the dedication and hard work of our immigrant ancestors 
and we owe it to them to work on a more comprehensive immigration 
reform.

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