Political Quotes

“I am honored to follow my colleagues who have spoken so powerfully on this issue and grateful to my colleague from Connecticut for his leadership, as well to Leader Schumer. We are a Nation of immigrants, proudly and gratefully. Immigrants have made this Nation the greatest in the world, and yet we have a broken immigration system. Fortunately for our Nation, people want to come here. Every week, I try to go to the immigration and naturalization ceremonies in my State of Connecticut. They are held in the courthouses. And I tell new citizens on those occasions that they are to be thanked for wanting to become United States citizens. They will never take it for granted. They pass the test that most Americans couldn't pass, and they smile or laugh because they know it is true. They have already contributed to their communities. Some have served in uniform. I look at them, and I say: This is what America looks like. This is what my dad looked like in 1935 when he came to this country speaking no English, knowing no one, having not much more than the shirt on his back. My immigrant story is not unlike many in this Chamber--certainly in this Nation. And this broken immigration system is unworthy of our great Nation. We need to fix it. We tried with comprehensive immigration reform in 2013. I was part of that effort and helped to write the bill that was passed overwhelmingly in the U.S.…”