Joe Neguse

Thank you, Lieutenant Colonel. And the stories you share today are stories we certainly need to hear, and I hope that the administration is listening.

It is un-American to deport immigrants fighting for our safety and our freedom.

I'm glad we were able to work together across the aisle to introduce this important legislation.

I want to thank Chair Lofgren and Representative Correa for holding this important hearing.

This bill will fix the problem that resulted from a policy change announced in August that takes effect today, which makes it more difficult for children of U.S. citizens serving our country abroad to be recognized as U.S. citizens.

Our veterans deserve better, and we owe it to them to find a way to bring compassion and discretion back into our immigration laws.

Why would we make it more difficult for the men and women who are risking their lives in service of this country to become permanent members of our society? This is both short-sighted and cold-hearted.

Part of what is the most disturbing for me and gives me the most pause, and I suspect some of my colleagues, is what you mentioned earlier, Ms. Floris, which is that it is happening in real time.

I must confess I am disappointed by some, not all, but some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle who chose to use their time impugning the integrity of former Government officials instead of talking today with these…

I think that the focus on natural solutions, this is one of those areas in which there is a real potential for bipartisan solutions to emerge.

Earlier this year the Congress permanently reauthorized the LWCF but failed to provide permanent funding for the program.

The Land and Water Conservation Fund has helped conserve and safeguard thousands of acres of natural areas across the United States, including nearly 200 projects in Colorado's Second District alone that, as I mentioned, I have the honor…

In July, earlier this year, I introduced two bipartisan bills, the study on improving lands, or SOIL Act, and the Sustainable Agriculture Research Act, and the goal of these bills is to support the efforts in carbon sequestration on…

Natural solutions are an important piece of solving the climate crisis, and certainly that has been adduced through both the testimony from the witnesses today as well as the comments of my colleagues.

We have to make sure that we are not sole-sourcing different building materials or standards to where there is only one company that makes a product.

That is part of our overall resiliency goal, is making sure that we make safe houses affordable and accessible.

And I know that Mr. Wright has been outspoken about this issue and ensuring that we properly use those tools.

I don't think there is any question that we are wasting millions of taxpayer dollars, in my view, by having these for-profit facilities.

I do think facts matter, and there are a variety of reasons that I believe justify ending for-profit detention in the United States of America.

These facilities, in my view, put profits for shareholders above the safety and the care of those in detention.

Madam Chair, I want to thank you for hosting this important hearing, and also for your leadership with respect to the Dignity in Detention Act that you have introduced that I am proud to be a co-sponsor of.

I want to say to you that you are just as American as anyone else here in this room.

I do think the bluster and the attacks in opening statements by one witness in particular on other members of this body whom are not here to defend themselves, I think is inappropriate.

It is a sad state of affairs in our country that we are at this place.

I don't know how Americans today would be willing to serve in law enforcement.