Grace Napolitano: “since 1886 immigrants to the United States have passed the Statue of Liberty, which has inscribed, ``Give me your tired…”

“since 1886 immigrants to the United States have passed the Statue of Liberty, which has inscribed, ``Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses.'' Why is it that now, when those huddled masses happen to be brown, the golden door of freedom is being slammed shut? Immigrants contribute to the economy. They are free thinkers. They are hard-driven workers who strive for success, not only for themselves and their community but for their families. They come to this country because America is a beacon of hope for them. They are looking for a better life, just like every immigrant since the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. So why do some amongst us feel it necessary to place every obstacle possible in their path, to launch bigoted assaults on them, to wrongly blame those who work the hardest at the worst jobs for the ills of all of our society? Immigrants are the history of the United States. They are our past, they are our present, and I must not rest until we recognize they are part of the future of this great country.”