So, in other words, if you think about it, the American authorities are facilitating the traffickers to keep their preys. Don't you think this is embarrassing?

$4 billion in direct cash payments to Central America. I agree with you that we should have a marshal plan in place for the area.

65 percent of the Guatemalans do not trust the government.

But it is not happening. It is not happening, and there is no money to it.

Inequality is un-American.

Letting the losing minority deny the clear choice of the majority in a free and fair vote is not democracy.

The status quo is unsustainable, and until it is addressed, Puerto Rico's economy and social development will continue to lag behind the other 50 states.

I am proud that my bill, the Puerto Rico Self-Determination Act, establishes a fair and inclusive process.

Congress should commit itself to following through on the self-determination process that Puerto Rican people may embark on.

This bill does not force or impose statehood on Puerto Rico. It only offers statehood and provides a proven mechanism and a legal means for it to happen.

H.R. 2070, ironically called the Puerto Rico Self-Determination Act, is the farthest thing from self-determination. It is the epitome of colonialism.

Only statehood provides that equal participation, guarantees U.S. citizenship, and represents a permanent and constitutional solution for Puerto Rico's status issue.

This is a historic opportunity for the people of Puerto Rico, a moment to finally chart their own course.

Those who did not like the people's choice in the November plebiscite... now choose to ignore the results, change the process, and change the questions--anything to avoid accepting the will of the people.

If you claim to favor self-determination, then you must support what Puerto Rico's voters freely determined. And that means admitting Puerto Rico as a state.

Your support for the Puerto Rico Statehood Admission Act will reaffirm the most sacred principles upon which our system of government was founded and strengthen our democracy.

The Puerto Rican people have made a clear, democratic choice for statehood, and there can be no doubt about where the American citizens of Puerto Rico stand.

There can never be consensus for second-class citizenship--the majority rules in our democratic system.