Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today as the first person born in Guatemala to serve in the United States House of Representatives. I know the Guatemalan people have lived through many difficult times, and I know this because I was born there during the civil war. My parents made the heartbreaking decision to send me to live with my uncle in the United States when I was a little girl. But through it all, the people of Guatemala have not given up. They have continued to work to make a better life for their children and for their children's children. They have worked for justice, for democracy, and they have won important victories. In 1996, the efforts of the Guatemalan people ended the civil war; and in 2007, their search for justice led to the creation of the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala, an innovative institution whose mission was to help rid the country of corruption and organized crime. Working with brave Guatemalan judges and prosecutors, CICIG made real progress in improving Guatemala's justice system. Then, in 2015, Guatemalans of all ages and political stripes took to the streets to call for the resignation of massively corrupt President Otto Perez Molina, and they won. The long struggle of the Guatemalan people has led to a country that is safer and more just. The country's problems are far from resolved, but progress has been made. Today Guatemala is at a crossroads.…”