Date: 2014-08-01
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I wonder what my grandmother coming from Jamaica. West Indies. with two babies thought about this great country called America. I wondered as I went to the border and I looked into the eyes of a little 7yearold who had just gotten off a bus by himself from someplace in Central America. or the toddler in a diaper who came here because there was true and actual violence. the beheading of their neighbors. the cutting of the throats of their young boys. the fear of the cartels. and to think of the words "no room at the inn." Our Republicans are confused. They are prosecuting the children. not prosecuting the drug dealers. the criminals. and others. Why? Because they are taking away basic due process rights for humble children who have come just for opportunity. Not only that. they dont even want to give resources to all the cities in America who are helping. the Good Samaritans. And then they want legislation that literally undermines due process for these children. I will tell you this is a bad bill. Do not pass it. Pass comprehensive immigration reform. Pass it now. Mr. Speaker. I rise in fervid opposition to this Martial Law Resolution and ask that you consider doing comprehensive immigration reforma vote you would not even need to whip. Yet we insist on wasting valuable House Floor time while we could be doing comprehensive immigration reform. comprehensive tax reform. the ExportImport Bank Reauthorization. or the Voting Rights Act. As the GOP Majority reaches further to the antiimmigrant right to scrounge up the votes for what was already an inadequate and heartless proposal. we Democrats have a better idea: comprehensive immigration reform. The bipartisan immigration legislation that passed the Senate over a year ago offers comprehensive answers to the problems with our immigration systembut for more than a year House Republicans have refused to give the American people a vote. The humanitarian crisis at the border is a powerful reminder of the importance of an immigration system that honors our values as a nation. The time is now. While House Republicans search for the compassion to help desperate children. Democrats are demanding a vote on the comprehensive immigration reform our nation needs. The United States is a country made up of immigrants. and it is part of what makes us so strong and vibrant. And while immigration reform remains an unsolved challenge for our nation. House Democrats are leading the way towards comprehensive reform. Indeed. the decision made by President Obama two years ago to defer deportation action against young people who were brought here by undocumented parents but have been raised here in our country was an important step in the right direction. This decision has helped ensure that over halfamillion hardworking. eager. and talented individuals who came here not of their own choice. and who are contributing to our economy and our defense. can remain here and continue to be part of building a strong future for America. Now we are faced. Mr. Speaker. with the surge of unaccompanied children on our southern border. They do not pose a threat to our national security. nevertheless the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act must be passed before Congress leaves town for its district workrecess. Contrary to the shrill rhetoric used by some commentators. the nation is not being invaded by an army of children dispatched to do us harm. In fact the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and I witnessed one month ago the deplorable conditions with your own eyesbabies as young as three years old. We are confronted with a humanitarian crisis resulting from the alarming scale of violence and economic desperation in three Central American countries: El Salvador. Honduras. and Guatemala. Politicizing the issue will not solve the problem. In the short term. we need to allocate the resources needed to deal with the increase in unaccompanied children seeking refuge in the United States. Yet this Congress has failed to provide any resources needed to fund the courts and judges needed to send these children through the legal system. therefore. we should fund the number of immigration judges needed. Without them. the result is a current average delay of 578 days to hear over 366.000 pending cases. Because this situation is untenable for everyonelaw enforcement. taxpayers. and individuals petitioning for relief. the first thing that we can and should do to reduce the backlog is pass the emergency supplemental and provide the funding needed to appoint 70 new immigration judges. as provided under legislation I recently introduced. H.R. 4990. the Justice For All Children Act. I remain committed to working with my colleagues. on a bipartisan basis. on this very important issue. and would hope for a spillover effect into the realm of comprehensive immigration reform. I remain committed to advocating for common sense enforcement measures as part of a broader immigration reform package that will further secure our borders. ensure agricultural interests have an ample labor supply. universities and businesses are not short workers. and proper workplace compliance is achieved. but also uphold our values as a Nation of immigrants. Mr. Speaker. No Room at the inn! The Republicans are confused. Let us as Americans give relief to these innocent children. I ask my colleagues to reject this resolution and call for a vote on comprehensive immigration reform and the full funding of the emergency supplemental by hiring 70 new immigration judges. provide more resources for the border. to protect vulnerable children. and help communities that are helping these children.