Mr. Speaker, I will yield to some of my colleagues who will recognize
and uplift the stories of the immigrant communities they represent and
hold President Trump and Republicans accountable for the continued
attacks on our immigrant communities.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Ms. Tokuda).
  Ms. TOKUDA. Mr. Speaker, earlier this month, I stood on a farm in
Haleiwa for the blessing of the Pacific Gateway Center's new land. I
looked out at the fields and at the farmers and families gathered there
ready to work, grow food, and to build something of their own. It was
immigrants focused on strengthening their community, our economy, and
creating a better life for their children.
  As I stood there, I could not stop thinking: This is it. This is
America. This is what a true celebration of 250 years of America looks
like. It is a more honest portrait of our country than any gilded
ballroom or caged fight on the White House lawn could ever offer: hands
in the soil, families laying down roots, people arriving with hope,
working hard, and building a life for their children and their
grandchildren.
  That is my family's story, too. I am a Yonsei, a fourth-generation of
Okinawan descent. Like so many other Japanese, Filipino, Chinese
families in Hawaii, agriculture and the plantations were the gateway
that allowed us to come, to work, to lay down our roots, and to build a
real future for our children.
  I would not be standing here today as a Member of Congress if my
family had not been given that chance, had that pathway not existed for
so many immigrants like us.
  For so many, somewhere in our family's story, someone got here.
Someone arrived with the same hope, the same courage, and the same
belief that tomorrow could be a better day than today, that their
children could go further than they did, that this country could be a
place where hard work, sacrifice, and community still meant something.
  That is where this administration has twisted the story. They want us
to believe immigrants are the enemy, but when you attack immigrant
children and women and workers and families, you are attacking the very
people who helped create our American identity.
  When you detain families, separate children, strip people of their
rights, and tell whole communities they do not belong, you are not
protecting America. You are betraying her promise. They can try to
paint over the truth. They can try to dress it up, cover the cracks
with gold, or write immigrants out of the story, but the truth is
carved into America's foundation: America's heritage is, in fact,
immigration.
  It is arrival. It is hard work. It is sacrifice. It is the belief
that tomorrow can be better than today. That is what America first
should mean, not pitting immigrant against nonimmigrant.
  By the way, unless you are indigenous to this land, you are, in fact,
an immigrant. Not turning families into targets, but creating
opportunities and pathways for the people who came here, laid down
their roots, helped build this country, and still carry it forward
every single day. That is what gives me hope.
  Because there are still people in this country who have not lost
sight of that dream. I saw them in Haleiwa. I saw people and families
choosing work, choosing community, choosing to build, and choosing
courage. I saw people making sure that pathway is still there for the
next family, the next generation, and the next person looking for a
chance.
  That is the America I believe in. An America where immigrant families
are not treated as threats, but recognized as part of who we are. An
America that understands the American Dream has never been about where
you came from. It is about what you are willing to build when you get
here.
  As we celebrate National Immigrant Heritage Month and prepare to mark
250 years of this country, let us tell the truth: Immigrants are not
outside America's story. They are the story. They are not a threat to
America's heritage. They are America's heritage.
  If we are serious about honoring 250 years of America, then we have a
responsibility to fight for the people still reaching for that same
promise--to lay down roots, to build a better life, to raise a family
in safety and dignity, and to contribute, and with hope to belong to
this country.
  Mr. Speaker, I saw hope that day in Haleiwa. I saw the American
Dream. That is what I am holding on to.
  It is up to each and every one of us to carry on the dream of our
forefathers. As long as there are people who carry that dream forward,
and as long as we have the courage to protect it, that dream will
continue.

                              {time}  1830

  Mrs. RAMIREZ. Mr. Speaker, I want to echo something that Ms. Tokuda
said that I often remind my colleagues at Homeland Security as they
continue to vilify immigrants: Unless you are indigenous, or you were
forced to come here, you, too, are an immigrant. Whether your family
came in the 1800s or the early 1900s, we must not forget that this
country is built by immigrants. Yet, so many people have such a short
memory of history.
  Immigrants are, in fact, the story of this country. To talk a little
bit more about that, Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from
Washington State (Ms. Jayapal).
  Ms. JAYAPAL. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Ramirez for her
leadership and for consistently fighting for immigrants across this
country.
  Today, as we recognize Immigrant Heritage Month, immigrants and
people of all statuses face horrific, unprecedented attacks from the
Trump administration. Even as this administration does everything
possible to attack immigrants and those who stand with them, what we
see is incredible strength, resilience, organizing, and leadership.
  What is the message of all of that? The message is that immigration
and immigrants have and always will make us better as a country.
  I am very proud to be the first Indian American--in fact, the first
South Asian-American woman elected to the House and one of just two
dozen naturalized citizens to serve in Congress.
  I came to this country alone when I was 16 years old. My parents had
very meager savings, but they used all of it to send me to this country
because they believed so much that this was the place that I would have
the best education and the most opportunities.
  Well, it took me 17 years to get my citizenship. I was on an alphabet
soup of visas for that time. Now, I am so proud to be the first
naturalized citizen to serve as the ranking member of the Immigration
Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Subcommittee.
  In that role, I have held accountability hearings and roundtables
here in Washington, D.C., and across the country to hear people's
stories and to shine a light on how the administration is harming our
communities and how we can fight back.
  What I have heard overwhelmingly, no matter where I am, is people
from all walks of life saying no to these anti-immigrant actions from
this administration. People are determined to ensure that our country
remains a welcoming place for people around the globe.
  We see neighbors organizing food delivery and carpools for families
who are afraid to leave their homes. We see gatherings at schools for
dropoff and pickup to keep kids safe. We see organizing in communities
to be prepared to document ICE and CBP abuses and hold this
administration accountable.
  I have heard from a young man who is Active-Duty military serving his
country despite this country deporting his father, and a young woman
trying to juggle pursuing her education while caring for her young
sibling after ICE detained her mother.
  I know organizational leaders across the country who are citizens and
should have nothing to fear but have been forced to move their families
into safe houses. They are determined to continue demanding justice
nevertheless. I was moved to hear from one person in the Twin Cities
that they need to have their neighbors' backs because their communities
are not whole without them.
  These sentiments, again, reflect the love and generosity of the
American people and their understanding that immigrants are vital to
all of our communities.
  In my hometown of Seattle, immigrants contribute to every sector of
our economy, just like they do across