The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Commerce was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H5641-H5648 on Sept. 18, 2013.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of January 3, 2013, the gentleman from California (Mr. Cardenas) is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.
Mr. CARDENAS. Mr. Speaker, it is a great honor to be here on the floor to speak to America and those around the world who watch and understand all that we try to do in this Congress. It gives me great pleasure and honor to speak tonight about a very important issue that faces America but is just as important to people from all over the world.
The United States of America is the country where dreams come true. It's not hard to see that citizenship is a cornerstone of that American Dream. We're a Nation of immigrants--and immigration remains one of the great strengths of our great Nation.
Yesterday, we celebrated Citizenship Day and were reminded of the important contributions immigrants have made to America--immigrants from all over the world.
As Congress continues to delay the passage of comprehensive immigration reform, we're again reminded that the inclusion of a pathway to citizenship is essential to ensuring that all immigrants are able to fully contribute to our economy, workforce, and to our communities.
One of the major reasons that we have so many undocumented workers in this great Nation is because our legal immigration system is broken. We should work as hard as possible to ensure that hardworking men and women who simply want to live the American Dream can do so--and that they can do so as American citizens.
What happens when immigrants are able to become citizens rather than just seeing their immigration status legalized? The answer is simple. We--all of us in America--will have a stronger and more integrated Nation, a stronger economy, and stronger communities. The economic benefits of citizenship are undeniable. Research shows failure to include a path to citizenship would have significant economic costs in terms of lost opportunity for growth, earnings, tax revenues, and jobs for Americans.
Providing only legal status with no pathway to citizenship would result in $568 billion less in national productivity and $321 billion less in total income, 820,000 fewer total jobs would be created, and Federal and State governments would lose out on $75 billion in additional tax revenue, according to outside estimates.
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Refusing immigrants the opportunity to become U.S. citizens hurts America. It hurts Americans as well. It hurts our economic interests as a country.
I want to fix our immigration system and to give those who are willing to work hard for this Nation and sacrifice of themselves an opportunity to do so as Americans. This is why I will continue to work with Democrats, Republicans, and anyone willing to listen to pass an immigration reform bill that is comprehensive and includes a path to citizenship.
At this time, I would like to take the opportunity to introduce Congressman Steny Hoyer, the minority whip from Maryland. Maryland is one of the earliest States where immigrants landed. Even your State, Congressman Hoyer, has a flag that represents those immigrants and their contributions to Maryland; correct?
Mr. HOYER. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
He is absolutely correct, of course. The Maryland flag, which I think is one of the more distinctive State flags, has four quadrants, two of which represent the Baltimore family to which the Royal charter was given, as the gentleman observed, and two represent the Crossland family, which was the wife of Lord Baltimore. So I appreciate the gentleman referring to that. And of course all of us live in States that were started by immigrants.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to join my friend, Representative Cardenas, and other distinguished Members who are here tonight to pay tribute to the immigrant heritage of our country.
``From her beacon hand glows worldwide welcome,'' wrote the poet Emma Lazarus. She went on with her poem to say:
``Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp,'' cries she with silent lips. ``Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shores. Send these, the homeless, the tempest-tossed, to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door.''
That iconic image we see so often is a symbol of America's welcome to those who would participate in making it better. But the poet was wrong. It was not the wretched refuse of the teeming shores that came to America. It was some of the most risk-taking, courageous, entrepreneurial people. It took courage to leave their land, to leave their language, and to come to America. But because they had ambition and vision and hope, they came. And they helped to build the greatest Nation the world has ever seen. Those words engraved on the Statue of Liberty are a creed of which our Nation must always keep faith.
For Americans, citizenship means more than belonging to a place. It represents a sacred bond not only between those who carry it, but a sacred duty to make sure others can earn it who share our devotion to liberty and justice for all. Yes, those immigrants, they believed that declaration intoning pursuit of happiness. What a wonderful concept that ``we hold these truths to be self-evident.'' Pursuit of happiness is one of those values that we hold forth to all the world.
You know, we hear a lot of talk, Mr. Speaker, on this floor and in our national discourse about what makes America exceptional, about what makes us unique and special among the nations of the world. The answer, I believe, is that we have brought together the best of all the nations of the world. Those who come seeking shelter on our shores do so because they want to work hard to succeed. They're willing to take the risk of leaving all that they know just for a chance to make it in America. That is why the Congress must pursue, Mr. Speaker, comprehensive immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship.
Mr. Speaker, 40 percent of all the Nobel Prize winners in America were born on foreign shores. They came here, contributed here, excelled here, and made our country better. Those who have come here to build a strong America--and those who were brought here as children and have known no other home--deserve a chance to keep contributing to this country through their hard work and their service to our communities.
Mr. Speaker, I am the son of an immigrant, an immigrant from Denmark. Serving with me in this Chamber are the sons and daughters, grandsons and granddaughters, great-grandsons and great-granddaughters, and yes, even more generations before. Grandsons of immigrants from Mexico, from Italy, from China, from Africa, from Eastern Europe, from the Caribbean, from Asia--indeed, from every land in this world.
In marking Citizenship Day, which was yesterday, it is up to us to make sure that our exceptional American idea of citizenship continues to manifest itself as an extended hand to all who love freedom, are committed to justice, and wish to build a strong America for all its people. Comprehensive immigration reform will enable us, as it has in the past, to keep that hand extended and bring into our society and economy those who believe in the power of the American Dream.
Mr. Speaker, let us work together, not as Democrats and Republicans, but as fellow immigrants. First, second, third, fourth, fifth, however many generations, we are the children of immigrants. Let us work together to fix our immigration system and ensure that the lamp beside the golden door continues to shine its light to enrich our Nation and continue to offer hope and inspiration for all the world.
I want to thank my colleague, Tony Cardenas, from California. He is a new Member, but an extraordinarily experienced Member. He knows about immigration firsthand. I want to thank him for taking this Special Order because it is important for America to keep that lamp lifted. And to do so, Mr. Speaker, we need, as Mr. Cardenas has said, to pass a comprehensive immigration bill. And, Mr. Speaker, we ought to pass it this year.
I thank the gentleman for taking the time. I thank the gentleman for yielding me the time.
Mr. CARDENAS. Thank you very much, Congressman Hoyer. I appreciate those eloquent words and also the fact that you pointed out that you are definitely a proud American, yet at the same time you are proud to say that you're the son of immigrants. That's a beautiful thing for us to welcome and embrace in this country. I hope and pray that we do, in fact, pass comprehensive immigration reform and pass it soon. So thank you so much for your leadership.
Next, Mr. Speaker, I would like to invite to share a few words with all of us my colleague, Marc Veasey, from the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex area.
Congressman Veasey, I know Texas is a State of proud patriots, and they must have been very proud when we read from the Constitution earlier this year at the beginning of our session. That document is the basis of a lot of what makes our country so appealing to those people from all over the world who want to come here and contribute to this great Nation; isn't it?
Mr. VEASEY. Absolutely.
Mr. CARDENAS. Why don't you tell us a little bit about what being a citizen is like and what it means to you and the folks in your district, many of whom protect and defend our great Nation.
Mr. VEASEY. Congressman Cardenas, I thank you very much for doing this. I would like to thank my friend from the Golden State of California for leading this important discussion. I'm also very proud that this is a very diverse group that is here today to talk about the importance of citizenship and diversity.
As it was pointed out a minute ago by Steny Hoyer, our whip, he talked about his background and him being a first-generation American. So many of the contributions and so many of the things that make America what it is today is because of immigrants. This discussion is very important. And Congressman Hoyer is right; we need to pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill because it's the right thing to do.
When you talk about the growth and you look at the gross domestic product, U.S. personal income, I can tell you in my own personal State of Texas what immigrants mean to our vibrant economy. We have so many people that are moving to our State every day. And much of that success that we are experiencing in Texas, the Lone Star State, particularly in Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex, is because of immigrant growth.
This week we celebrate 226 years since the U.S. Constitutional Convention was signed into law. Since that time, America's Constitution has been seen as the backbone for the rights and freedoms of all U.S. citizens. The U.S. Constitution is the epitome of what it means to be an American citizen in our country. September 17, the day it was adopted, is a day to celebrate what this document means for those who have become or who aspire to be U.S. citizens.
Throughout our Nation's history, immigrants have embraced the spirit of liberty, justice, and equality for all. These were the same principles that guided the Framers of the Constitution as they built a stronger republic. The Founding Fathers felt that the people who immigrated and spent years building lives in this country deserved citizenship. We should have that same spirit today in this body.
They were keenly aware that making new immigrants wait a long time for citizenship denied them the very rights that Americans had just fought to claim for themselves. By guaranteeing a uniform rule of naturalization, the Constitution presupposes an immigrant nation. Let's join the Framers by pledging to support and defend the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America.
Each year during Citizenship Day, we recognize the newest members of the American family as they pledge allegiance to our Constitution in naturalization ceremonies across our great country. This week, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will welcome over 18,000 new U.S. citizens during more than 180 naturalization ceremonies hailed across the country.
As thousands take their first step towards the American Dream, we must all recognize the obstacles that still exist for so many others who long to contribute to the next chapter of America's story. The steps toward becoming a citizen are riddled with difficult, confusing, and very expensive hurdles. In addition to the cost and bureaucracy, there are also some individuals in the community preying on immigrants, taking their money and telling them they are guaranteed citizenship.
Our national, economic, social, and cultural vibrancy are the direct result of labor and efforts of generations of immigrants. According to the Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration at the University of Southern California, income rises an average of 8 to 11 percent when immigrants become citizens.
Delaying and ignoring real problems in our broken immigration system for political purposes has not brought solutions; it has only brought heartache for the many families who wish to assimilate and make America stronger.
In the spirit of Citizenship Day, I stand with my colleagues to recognize the many benefits that immigrants bring to the United States of America.
Mrs. Velasquez-Acosta came to this country from El Salvador and became a naturalized U.S. citizen. Now her son Sam works in the office of a Member of the United States House of Representatives. In fact, he serves the constituents of the 33rd Congressional District in the congressional office that I represent. He is truly a living person that can tell you the benefits of immigration--he and his family.
I believe that there is a level of optimism because I see it in Sam and I see it in so many others who reside in the 33rd Congressional District, the level of optimism that immigrants have historically brought to this country and to our State. When you bring new people into the American family, you energize and get others involved.
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We must focus on the urgency of helping the almost 9 million legal permanent residents who are eligible for citizenship in this country. We must help them take those final steps toward the American Dream so they can fully become a part of the Democratic process. That's what it's all about.
Today, we must rededicate ourselves to pass comprehensive immigration reform. This fair, commonsense system would include a pathway to citizenship for those here now, a family reunification system, and a market-based structure that meets legitimate labor needs, protecting both the interest of American workers and industry.
As a nation of immigrants, let us celebrate the long line of aspiring citizens who have had a positive impact on our history. Immigrants have enriched our character, contributed to our economy by founding businesses and creating jobs, and have sacrificed their livelihoods so that they could defend our freedoms and secure a brighter future for our children.
The men who signed our Constitution 226 years ago--226 years ago--
envisioned the United States as a land of opportunity. Today, as legislators, we are charged with building on that same vision, and our Nation will be stronger for it.
I thank my friend from California for using this time to talk about something that is so important to our country. We can no longer wait. The time is now.
Mr. CARDENAS. Thank you very much, Congressman Veasey. Thank you for sharing those words with all of us.
Mr. Speaker, next I would like to introduce Kyrsten Sinema from Arizona. She knows what dreams are made of and what it takes to be a participant in making those dreams come true.
Ms. SINEMA. Thank you, Mr. Cardenas, for holding this event this evening. I appreciate the time.
Mr. Speaker, many others who will be speaking this evening will spend time talking about the numbers or the benefits of changing our immigration laws in our country.
I'm going to tell just one brief story about my district. When I was elected to Congress earlier this year, I was invited, as many Members of Congress are, to address and welcome newly sworn-in citizens. As the swearing-in ceremony was happening on a day that I was in Washington, a member of my team back in Phoenix joined that citizenship ceremony and spoke on my behalf.
After the event was over, I asked her how it went. It was her first time speaking publicly on behalf of our office, and I asked her what it was like. She answered by telling me about her experience.
The staffer who went to the citizenship ceremony on my behalf is a young woman named Erika Andiola. Erika Andiola is a Dreamer. She was born in Mexico and brought to this country as a young person. She went to junior high and high school in Phoenix, Arizona. She later went to Arizona State University and graduated with high honors. She now works for me in my office as an outreach director.
Erika spoke to the individuals who had just become citizens at the citizenship ceremony and welcomed them as new citizens to our country. What she said to me afterwards was that one day she hopes to sit in that citizenship ceremony herself and to become a citizen of these United States.
Mr. Cardenas, members of the Ninth District, fellow citizens of this country, this is the reason we must get the immigration reform. Young people like Erika Andiola have lived in this United States for almost their entire lives and know no other country. While they watch others become citizens, they still dream for that day themselves.
Mr. Cardenas, we must make that happen for Erika.
Mr. CARDENAS. Thank you very much, Congresswoman Sinema.
Next, I would like to invite to share a few words with all of us Congressman O'Rourke from Texas.
Congressman, a lot of us have talked about citizenship and what it means when you raise your hand and swear allegiance to this country, and the many ways that immigrants have contributed to our great Nation. But for you I think it touches a little closer to home.
I've heard there's a new American citizen in your district who has made a major contribution to your congressional office. Can you share with us that story?
Mr. O'ROURKE. Mr. Speaker, I am very honored to be here today to speak on the topic of immigration reform, immigration reform that is humane, that is rational, that is fiscally responsible, and to be doing so with the guidance and leadership of Congressman Cardenas, my friend from California, who despite his short tenure in Congress has really emerged as a leader on this very important issue--important to me, important to the community I represent in El Paso, Texas, important to our State, and important to our country. Frankly, just to extend it one more time, important to the world, because I think the world's eyes are on us today, they're on us as we decide how we are going to respond to this opportunity, this once in a 20- or 30-year opportunity to make meaningful, positive changes in our broken immigration system, because as Steny Hoyer said earlier, ``we are proudly a Nation of immigrants.''
I'm sure it is this way for the gentleman from California, but for me the moral and ethical reasons are the most compelling--to do the right thing for those people who are already in our communities, for the people who have so much to offer who have yet to come to our shores and will add to the economy, to the civic strength of our communities and make the places that we live in and the country that we call home a better place.
I think of Edgar Falcon, a constituent of mine, a U.S. citizen, who is working. While he's working, he's also going to nursing school to improve his life, his ability to compete in the marketplace, his opportunity to contribute back to the community that we live in.
To complete his life beyond his education and his work and everything that he has done in the community, he wants to marry the woman of his dreams, a woman named Maricruz, who currently lives in Durango, Mexico, who would love to be here with the man that she loves.
But unfortunately, because of our current broken immigration system, she's unable to live here in the United States with the man that she loves. He's unable to bring her here because when she was a child, her sister, while they were crossing into the United States, falsely claimed citizenship for the both of them. Under our current broken immigration system, that has earned her a lifetime ban from reentry to the United States.
So despite the fact that an American citizen, someone I represent, someone who pays taxes into our government, someone who is by all measures doing everything he can to make our community and our country a better place, he cannot be with the woman he loves because of what I think to be a very arbitrary and unhelpful law that is separating two people who deeply love each other.
What we need to do is correct this through comprehensive immigration reform and through a measure that we'll be introducing this week, the American Families United Act, that will allow judges some level of discretion in cases like these where we have someone who poses no threat to our country, who can pay a fine, do some sort of penance for a mistake they made or a family member made on their behalf, and then if it makes sense for our community and our security is secured, they are able to join our community, the person that they want to marry, a U.S. citizen.
I hope that we'll have others who will join us in cosponsoring this legislation that we'll introduce this week because there are literally thousands upon thousands of American families, families of U.S. citizens, who are affected negatively by this immigration law.
As I said earlier, we want to do the right thing for the right reasons, for the moral imperative. Coming from El Paso, Texas, we really have been the Ellis Island for much of Latin America, including Mexico. The people who came through our ports of entry ended up in Los Angeles, they ended up in California, they went to Chicago, they went to New York, they went to all points east, west and north, and then many tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, chose to stay in El Paso.
It is because of those immigrants, both legal and unauthorized immigrants I would argue, that El Paso today is the safest city in the United States. It was the safest city last year as well, it was the safest city the year before that. For the last 10 years, El Paso has been one of the top five safest cities in the United States.
When we hear people, who I think out of ignorance, say that we need to secure the border before we move forward with comprehensive immigration reform, I tell them that today we are spending $18 billion on border security, more than we are spending on all other Federal law enforcement agencies combined, that we've built hundreds of miles of fencing, that net migration last year from Mexico was actually zero, that El Paso is the safest city, San Diego is the second-safest. The U.S. side of the U.S. border compared to the rest of the country is far safer. We do not have a border security problem today. The border has never been more secure or more safe.
For all of those reasons, all of the moral ones and all of the commonsense ones that I just cited, we should do the right thing. Yet that is not enough for some people.
I will conclude by saying this. It is in our moral interest as a country that wants to do the right thing. It makes all the common sense in the world to do the right thing. But if we look at our economic self-interest, today it is already proven that immigrants, including unauthorized immigrants, contribute far more to our economy, they contribute far more to our tax base, they contribute far more to job opportunities and quality of life than they take in benefits. That has, I think, been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt.
What we also know is that if some form of the current proposal for comprehensive immigration reform passes, the CBO has scored it such that within the first 10 years these new immigrants to our country who will be on a path to citizenship will be able to reduce our deficit by more than $150 billion. In the next 10 years, those same immigrants will reduce our deficit an additional $800 to $900 billion. They'll also be contributors into Social Security, one of the pillars of our social safety net, one that is unable to meet its obligations in the not too distant future. This is surely going to help us to shore up Social Security as well.
So whether we look at the moral dynamic, whether we look at what makes common sense for our communities and our country, or whether we look at our economic self-interest, comprehensive immigration reform that is rational, that is humane, and that is fiscally responsible makes sense for this country.
Mr. CARDENAS. Thank you very much, Congressman O'Rourke. We appreciate the opportunity to hear a perspective from your part of Texas and our great country.
Next, I would like to welcome and talk a little bit with Congressman Bill Foster of Illinois, a little bit right now.
Congressman Foster, part of the American Dream is owning a home. I, myself, was a real estate broker before getting involved in elected office, and I know that it's tough for those people who want to own a home if they don't have their documentation in order or their citizenship in order. We have a lot of vacant homes around the country, and I know we have some in your district and in my district.
Do you think that more American citizens working hard and contributing to our economy would help our home-buying market?
Mr. FOSTER. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to highlight the many important contributions that immigrants make to our Nation and our economy, to our scientific progress, and to say a few special words on the positive impact that comprehensive immigration reform will have on the real estate market in our country.
We are a Nation of immigrants. Many of us are second- or third-
generation Americans, and we have all benefited from the sacrifices that our ancestors made in search of a better life in America.
In fact, my wife is a first-generation Asian-American who came to the United States to pursue her education, and was able to become a legal immigrant and a citizen and a Ph.D., in fact, but who knows that even our legal immigration system does not work as well as it should.
Every day, families come to this country in search of the American Dream--better jobs, better education, and a better life for their families.
I am proud to represent many of these families, but would like to share just one incredible story of one of my constituents, Juventino Cano. Growing up, Juventino lived on a farm in Colima, Mexico, with his parents and six brothers and sisters. Their home didn't have lights or electricity, and they all worked long hours on the family farm to make ends meet.
When he was 17 years old, his stepbrothers encouraged him to come to Aurora, Illinois, and told him about the wonderful opportunities that awaited him in America. He was able to get a job with his stepbrothers at a packaging company.
By 1986, Juventino not only held a steady job and had learned English, but he had opened his own company, Cano Container Corporation, in Aurora, Illinois. What started with a single machine and three employees has now grown into a company with over $20 million a year in annual sales. Today, not only is Juventino the president and CEO of the Cano Container Company, he also serves on the board of directors for the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and as the president of the board of directors of the Aurora Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
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Cano Container Company has also received its share of accolades, including being named the minority manufacturer of the year by the United States Department of Commerce in 2007.
The city and the economy of Aurora, Illinois, have greatly benefited from Juventino's many contributions to the community. His story reminds us that immigration reform is good for economic growth. More than 40 percent of Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants or children of immigrants. These American companies represent seven of the 10 most valuable brands in the world and collectively employ more than 10 million people and generate annual revenue of $4.2 trillion. That's a quarter of our economy.
Additionally, immigrants have a huge impact on our housing market, and passage of comprehensive immigration reform will have a huge positive impact on our still-recovering real estate markets. A study from Harvard University found that in recent years, foreign-born households accounted for 30 percent of the overall growth in the housing sector.
According to the ``2012 State of Hispanic Homeownership'' report, it is likely that comprehensive immigration reform would generate 3 million new Hispanic home buyers over the next several years. Every day that we fail to pass comprehensive immigration reform, we are forfeiting millions of dollars of economic growth and tax revenue and slowing the recovery of our housing markets.
If we passed immigration reform that provides a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, it would increase State and local tax collections by almost $150 million a year in Illinois alone. On the other hand, if all unauthorized immigrants were removed from Illinois, the State would lose $25.6 billion in economic activity,
$11.4 billion in gross State product, and approximately 120,000 jobs.
As a scientist, I've also seen firsthand the valuable contributions that immigrants make. For 20 years, I worked as a physicist at Fermi National Lab in Illinois, and every day the flags from dozens of countries flew outside the facilities representing the nationalities of all of the scientists performing experiments at Fermilab.
Thousands of students from other countries have come to the U.S. to get their Ph.D.s and training at our research facilities, and it has been the policy of our country to turn most of them away when the work is done and their education is complete. While this may have made sense in the years after World War II when we were trying to avoid the brain drain from countries trying to rebuild themselves, times have changed. The economic winds are now blowing in both directions, and we need to stop pushing our accomplished scientists and researchers out of our country and instead encourage them to stay here and to build businesses, expand their research, and help grow our economy. The comprehensive immigration bill passed by the Senate does exactly that: it encourages the best and brightest scientists and researchers to stay here and add to our economy and our R&D capabilities.
As we contemplate a pathway to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants and consider reforming our legal immigration system, let's remember all of the contributions that immigrants, past and present, have made to our country.
Our Nation has a long and proud history of welcoming immigrants in search of a better life for themselves and their families, but our current immigration system is broken. We now have a historic opportunity to bring 11 million people out of the shadows.
We have to remember that at any moment we are just 5 days away from passing immigration reform and having it be the law of the land. All it will take is for Speaker Boehner to wake up one morning and listen to the voices of his church, listen to the voices of the chambers of commerce, listen to the voices of business and ordinary people all over this country and decide to bring the Senate immigration bill up for a vote where it will pass with a bipartisan majority and be signed into law by the President.
This would be a historic moment and exactly the kind of bipartisanship that people expect from their elected representatives. If and when Speaker Boehner decides to act and allow the House a vote to pass the Senate immigration bill, we could boost our economy, including our real estate markets, reduce our national debt and, most importantly, bring 11 million people out of the shadows. We cannot let this opportunity pass us by.
Mr. CARDENAS. Thank you very much.
Next I would like to yield to Congresswoman Lois Capps.
Congresswoman, both of us are from California, and we've seen the incredible impact that immigrants have made in our great State of California. Recognizing those contributions is not a partisan matter for us in California now, is it?
One thing that I'd like for you to share with us, please, is your perspective on whether or not this is a partisan issue.
Mrs. CAPPS. I thank my colleague from California, Tony Cardenas. And, yes, I do have a letter that I will share, but I want to discuss the matter in general first and thank my colleague for organizing all of us to be here to address a topic that is of central importance to our State of California and the entire country.
I join my colleagues in strong support for comprehensive immigration reform. We honor the many contributions that immigrants have made to our country during Citizenship Day this week, but we cannot forget the millions of immigrants left behind by our broken immigration system. These are the immigrants who contribute to key sectors of our economy. They are such a vital part of agriculture, housing, manufacturing, retail, hospitality, tourism, engineering, technology, and on and on.
These are hardworking people, immigrants who often face separation from their families, lower wages, and face the fear of deportation; and this forces them to take their skills often to our competitors at great disadvantage to our own economy. We can all agree that our current immigration system is not working. It's holding back our country and our economy, and now is the time to fix it.
While I've been traveling in my congressional district, I've heard personally from business sectors of our economy on the central coast of California that are hurt on a daily basis by this broken immigration system. There are high-tech companies in Goleta, California, frustrated by seeing many of our brightest UC Santa Barbara graduates being sent back to their native countries to work for competitive companies and countries because of a lack of high-skilled worker visas.
I've met with growers in California's agriculture industry who are so important in my local economy, critical to our national economy, and who struggle to find a stable and a consistent workforce. This threatens the sustainability of our crops.
I've met with workforce and labor organizations who want to ensure workers can earn fair wages and contribute to our economy and our communities. We must act now to establish a fair, but tough, pathway to citizenship to provide the security and stability our economy needs.
I now refer to the chart which indicates so graphically the difference between a path to legalization only and the strong advantages of that pathway to citizenship.
Comprehensive reform would boost California's economy alone by $7.3 billion. It would create nearly 77,000 new jobs in our State of California just next year. This should be one of our Nation's top priorities.
Mr. Speaker, I would also note for the record that while Members of my party are very enthusiastic about advancing comprehensive immigration reform, this is an issue with strong bipartisan support. For example, the Senate passed comprehensive immigration reform on a strong bipartisan vote not too long ago, and just last week a number of Republican members of the California State legislature made their voices heard on this issue--and that's the letter to which you referred. They sent a letter to their Federal counterparts urging us to take action in the House. These are Republican legislators from California on comprehensive immigration reform. I would like to now submit this letter into the Record.
This letter outlines components of comprehensive reform that most of us agree need to be included, that is, the opportunity for undocumented residents to earn their way to citizenship.
Wisely, the California State Republican legislators wrote--and this is a quote from their letter:
There is no policy debate more important to the future of California and of America than passing comprehensive immigration reform.
I could not agree more.
Mr. Speaker, my colleagues, it is time that we have the opportunity here on the floor of the United States House of Representatives to debate and to finally have a vote on comprehensive immigration reform. Our country, our economy simply cannot wait any longer.
Thank you for the time, my colleague from California.
California State
Republican Legislators
To: California Republican Congressional Delegation:Doug LaMalfa, 1st DistrictTom McClintock, 4th DistrictPaul Cook, 8th DistrictJeff Denham, 10th DistrictDavid Valadao, 21st DistrictDevin Nunes, 22nd DistrictKevin McCarthy, 23rd DistrictBuck McKeon, 25th DistrictGary Miller, 31st DistrictEd Royce, 39th DistrictKen Calvert, 42nd DistrictJohn Campbell, 45th DistrictDana Rohrabacher, 48th DistrictDarrell Issa, 49th DistrictDuncan Hunter, 50th District
We, the undersigned California State legislative Republicans, strongly support federal comprehensive immigration reform and urge our state Republican Congressional delegation to encourage Speaker John Boehner to call a vote on immigration reform.
Components should include thoughtful and strong border security, employer sanctions, and opportunity for undocumented residents to earn their way to full citizenship, but only behind those who have applied to become citizens through the current citizenship process.
There is no policy debate more important to the future of California and America than passing comprehensive immigration reform. By providing legal clarity to the status of millions of people in California, we can spur an economic renaissance, solidify families, and create an entirely new population of full taxpayers, many of whom who have strong entrepreneurial and work ethics.
We stand with the business community, the labor community, farmers, manufacturers, communities of faith, and most importantly Californians, in our call for Congress to act on reform this year to put this challenge behind us as a state and nation. We strongly urge House Republicans to demand a vote.
While some members in Congress may not support the legislation, every member deserves the opportunity to vote. We understand that members have divergent views on reform, but this is the time to address the many serious issues immigrants and their employers face every day.
This group of Republican legislators is asking our friends in business, labor and agriculture, who work with these immigrants in their fields, homes and factories every day to join us in asking Congressional Leaders to ``Call the Vote.''
Respectfully,
Senator Anthony Cannella, SD 12; Senator Steve Knight, SD 21; Senator Bill Emmerson, SD 27; Senator Tom Berryhill, SD 14.
Assembly Republican Leader Connie Conway, AD 26; Assemblymember Jeff Gorell, AD 44; Assemblymember Kristin Olsen, AD 12; Assemblymember Rocky Chavez, AD 76; Assemblymember Katcho Achadjian, AD 35; Assemblymember Jim Patterson, AD 23; Assemblymember Allan Mansoor, AD 74; Assemblymember Don Wagner, AD 68; Assemblymember Brian Maienschein, AD 77; Assemblymember Eric Linder, AD 60; Assemblymember Brian Dahle, AD 1.
Mr. CARDENAS. Thank you very much, Congresswoman Capps.
I now yield to Dr. Raul Ruiz, who represents the southern part of California, to express some of his understanding of why comprehensive immigration reform is good for America and good for Americans.
Mr. RUIZ. Mr. Speaker, I thank the good gentleman from California, Congressman Cardenas.
Immigrants from all over the world have made tremendous contributions to our society and our economy since the birth of our Nation. Our immigrant families are an invaluable part of our country.
For far too long, Congress has failed to act on a comprehensive plan for immigration reform.
I believe that any immigration reform plan would be bipartisan, secure our borders, uphold the immigration laws we already have, protect our workers and businesses, and include a pathway to citizenship for those who work hard and play by the rules.
Passing a commonsense comprehensive immigration reform bill would lead to an economic boom in the Coachella Valley and across the country.
Nonpartisan, independent studies have shown that comprehensive immigration reform will reduce the deficit by nearly $850 billion over the next 20 years and reduce our Federal debt. It will also increase economic growth and strengthen our economy by expanding our labor force, increasing investment, and increasing overall productivity. It will also provide a significant boost to our tourism and agriculture sectors, two of the top industries in my district in the Coachella Valley.
In the Coachella Valley, tourism industries will benefit substantially from some of the provisions in the bipartisan Senate bill, like the Visa Waiver Program. Additionally, our U.S. agriculture output and exports will grow once our farmers have access to the stable workforce they need.
Comprehensive immigration reform means more jobs and more opportunity for people in my district and across the country, but only if we act.
I stand ready to work with both Democrats and Republicans toward a comprehensive immigration system that is rooted in common sense. It is time to put aside the political games and work together in a bipartisan effort to address this critical challenge.
Thank you, Congressman Cardenas, for this session.
Mr. CARDENAS. Thank you so much, Congressman Ruiz.
Before I call up our next Congressman from Florida, I'd like to share a story with everyone, Mr. Speaker, about economics and innovation.
Cesar Millan was born in 1969 in Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico. He grew up working with animals on his grandfather's farm in Sinaloa.
Young Millan crossed the border in the U.S. without a visa at the age of 21. He spoke no English and did not know anyone in this country. He first worked in a dog grooming store working with the most aggressive dogs that nobody else would want to work with.
Mr. Millan became a permanent resident in the year 2000. He was focused on rehabilitating especially aggressive dogs and founded the Dog Psychology Center in south Los Angeles, and he held that center there from 2002 to 2009, which, in fact, was a business.
He started a television series, ``The Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan,'' which was broadcast in more than 80 countries around the world between 2004 and 2012. The show became National Geographic's number one show during its first season.
Starting in January 2013, Cesar Millan has hosted another series,
``Cesar Millan's Leader of the Pack.'' Cesar Millan has written three books, all of which became New York Times bestsellers. In 2009, Cesar Millan launched ``Cesar's Way'' magazine in the United States and Canada, which combines advice from Cesar and articles about relationships between dogs and humans. It is the number one selling dog magazine in North America.
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In 2007, Cesar and Ilusion Millan created the Cesar and Ilusion Millan Foundation, a not-for-profit to aid and support the rescue, rehabilitation, and placement of abused and abandoned dogs. Cesar Millan has also supported other projects, including K-9 Connection for at-risk teens, Pups on Parole for inmates, and It Gets Better that supports at-risk LGBT youth as well.
I was present in 2009--and it was a proud moment for me and a proud moment for Cesar Millan and his family--when he raised his hand and was sworn in as a United States citizen in 2009 in Los Angeles, California. And I can tell you, his efforts and his contributions to this great Nation go much further.
While watching television, my wife, Norma, looked at the TV and she said, You know what, Tony? You need to meet Cesar Millan. He looks like a good man, and he looks like somebody who can help you create good legislation for the city of Los Angeles, when I was on the city council of Los Angeles.
So I invited him to my office, and immediately he said he'd be more than happy to help me. And as a result of that one meeting, he helped me create the first spay and neuter program in the largest city in the United States of America. Now it's the model for cities around the country. And it was his advice and his expertise that allowed me to do that.
Los Angeles, for over 20 years, had not prosecuted one person for cruelty to animals, and it was Cesar Millan who urged me that we need to put an end to that. And with that, in Los Angeles, I was able to pass an ordinance that created an animal cruelty task force. And today, we have prosecuted over 200 individuals with felony charges for cruelty to animals.
Basically what I'm saying is it was an undocumented immigrant who came to this country who taught me, an American-born citizen, how I can take my craft as an elected official to a level that had never been done before. And it's that kind of example that I believe we have example after example after example in this country that immigrants who come to this country, documented or undocumented, seize the opportunity of the atmosphere that we've created in this great country. And they are tremendous contributors not only to our economy, but to good legislation and making our communities a better place.
And now I would like to invite to speak a few words Congressman Joe Garcia from Florida to share what his perspective on comprehensive immigration reform means to this country and why it's so important to our great Nation.
Mr. GARCIA. Mr. Speaker, I have the great opportunity to come from a community that, in large part, has been built by immigrants. I am the son of refugees to this great country. And here's what we know:
We know that immigrants add to America's way of life; they create more opportunity for all; they make our country better; they make American citizens richer.
Here's what we know:
We know that in the next 10 years, if we find a pathway for legalization, over $100 billion of additional capital will be added to our country. What we know is that in the next 20 years, that will be over $870 billion. In fact, what we know is that they will almost provide $1 trillion of economic growth over the next 20 years.
It's important to understand that immigrants bolster our country, make our country better, and they add to it.
I lived in south Florida during very tough times for immigrants. I remember, as a young man, seeing bumper stickers on the back of cars that said, ``Would the last American leaving Miami please bring the flag.'' What I know is that the flag still flies high in Miami. It is a leading beacon for work and opportunity in our country because people didn't give up on the dream of our country. They continued to work and they continued to make a difference.
And that is exactly what we have to understand is that immigrants bolster our country. They bolster America's private sector by consuming more goods, more services, providing increased income. All this, in turn, creates more jobs and greater income for all Americans.
What we know is that by 2022, over 820,000 more workers will be created because of the need, $321 billion of increased income for all Americans. The GDP increases by $568 billion if all noncitizens, undocumented and those illegal residents in the country, were to be legalized. This is a boon for our country. It creates opportunity. It makes for a better America.
I thank the gentleman from California for doing this because of course what he's doing is trying to save this country, to make it better. There has never been a great country, a great nation in the history of the world that was shedding citizens. In fact, all great countries welcome opportunity. They welcome those who come to provide.
We need a comprehensive immigration system not only because we need more workers, but we need the intellectual capital that they bring. We need that drive, that vigor that they add to our country. And the fight for comprehensive immigration reform is one that makes all Americans better, makes our country richer, and makes opportunity for all, creating the motto that lives in our country.
So again, I want to thank the gentleman from California for his efforts. I know he's one of many in the House. And what we do know is that if a bill came to this floor, it would have majority support. The Senate passed it, and this House could pass it if the leadership would allow it to get to the floor.
More than enough of the Members of this Chamber understand the benefits of immigration, understand that it is necessary for our country's greatness, and understand that it is what we will do inevitably. Let's do it now. Let's do it right. Let's get it done.
Mr. CARDENAS. Thank you, Congressman Garcia. I really appreciate that perspective and your sharing with America those perspectives.
I would like to share another story of someone that I'm friends with and someone who has a business in my district and also lives in my district.
Alonso Arellano was born in 1966 in Tijuana, Mexico. He came to America when he was 10 years old with his mother and stepdad and brother. His family settled in Huntington Park, California, where his father worked at a factory job and his mother sold goods to make some extra money. He had to withdraw from high school in the 10th grade because of the family's economic hardships and began working to help support his family. But he had a passion for learning and was determined to get an education, so he completed high school by taking night classes while working full-time, and went on to take courses at a junior college to continue his education.
In 1986, he got married. And when he found out his wife was pregnant a couple of years later, he began to reevaluate his life and what he was going to do next for his family. So he joined the United States Air Force in 1988, where he won the Airman of the Quarter Award three times, received a commendation medal, and graduated from training with honors. He was granted the permission to take classes at Eastern New Mexico University nearby the base where he was stationed, and he eventually earned a bachelor's degree in physics and a master's degree in mathematics.
After the war, Alonso applied for and was granted U.S. citizenship, which opened the door for his future career. When he left the military in 1994, he began training at UCLA to become a radiation medical physicist while working part time at UCLA at a cancer research center. He currently works as a radiation medical physicist at a private hospital. In addition to that, he owns and runs a restaurant called Rocio's Mole de los Dioses. And right now, he's planning on opening up another business, creating jobs for Americans, creating jobs in our community, our corner of America.
I think it's important for people to understand that immigrants have such an insatiable appetite to appreciate their surroundings, appreciate their opportunities, just like Alonso, who had to get out of school at the 10th grade, who worked full-time, went to night school to get his education, went on to get a bachelor's degree, a master's degree, and now is contributing in a health care facility for patients with cancer, who is actually contributing by opening several businesses where he employs American citizens.
I want to thank my colleagues for joining me tonight on this floor to share the stories of truth and the stories about how important comprehensive immigration reform is to the economy of America. Once again, 82,000 more jobs if we allow these new Americans to become citizens, $568 billion more growth in GDP to the United States economy if we allow them to become citizens, $75 billion more in revenue to local States and governments if we allow them to become citizens, $321 billion of growth in dollars in the pockets of American families that will be spent throughout our communities in America.
As I close, I would like to thank NALEO, NCLR, and countless other businesses, chambers, labor, civil rights, religious, and law enforcement organizations, individuals who are continuing to push for the truth, to push Congress to please have comprehensive immigration reform meet the floor of both Houses so we can reconcile this, fix our broken immigration system, and put it on the desk of the President of the United States, and we will see an economic boon that this country has not seen for decades.
Americans deserve for us to operate in these Chambers the way we should, to put aside the partisan bickering, to look at the economic benefit of every community in our country, to do the right thing, to live the spirit of what the United States of America portends to be around the world. We need to start at home and realize that we have 11 million hardworking people in this country who are doing the toughest jobs, changing the diapers of our children, working in the kitchens of every nice, wonderful restaurant in America, people who are working with our grandparents to help them live a better life. Many of those individuals deserve the opportunity to come out of the shadows, and not only come out of the shadows, but to contribute to this great Nation with more economics that we need to see. We have an ailing economy, ladies and gentlemen. And with that, Mr. Speaker, we will see growth in America. We will see more Americans go to work if we do the right thing and pass comprehensive immigration reform.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's been a wonderful hour of truth and message to the American people, and I hope and pray that in these Chambers we have the opportunity to vote for comprehensive immigration reform.
I yield back the balance of my time.
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