Roland Gutierrez: “In 93 days a harsh new welfare law will wipe out assistance to legal immigrants. Yesterday I told my colleagues about…”

“In 93 days a harsh new welfare law will wipe out assistance to legal immigrants. Yesterday I told my colleagues about one such immigrant from my district. Today let me tell my colleagues about another. Her name is Adela. If my colleagues voted for welfare reform so they could teach people about the importance of hard work, they did not have to bother in Adela's case. After coming to the United States, Adela worked for 8 years in a factory on Chicago's northwest side. In fact, she worked well past the age at which most Americans would have called it quits and would have retired. But the company moved out of town, closed its doors down. Adela, now 74 years old and in poor health, has been served notice that her years of hard working, playing by the rules and paying taxes is not enough. She got her pink slip. Now it is a computer printed form letter telling her that her only means of support, Social Security, is about to be taken away from her on August 22. Do legal immigrants like Adela need to learn the value of hard work? No. Congress needs to learn the value of hard-working immigrants who have made America what it is today. I suggest to any Member that he look back to see what his grandparents look like or great grandparents looked like.”