Political Quotes

“my parents and I arrived in this country in the early 1960's after escaping the totalitarian dictatorship of Fidel Castro in Cuba with the dream of starting a new life in freedom. Soon after arriving, my family and I were able to learn why this great country was seen around the world as the land of opportunity. After much hard work, my parents were able to settle into their new home and provide us children with the foundations for our future prosperity. That same dream of freedom and democracy that my parents had is still shared by the immigrants who arrive to this country today. Unfortunately, I am afraid that today, across the Nation and in some of our political leaders, there is a current which runs against this desire. The current, instead, runs in favor of severely restricting and even ending legal immigration. This movement is fed by the incorrect notion that immigrants are attracted to the United States because of our social programs and soon after arriving, they become a burden on the State. Mr. Speaker, the facts do not back this notion. The reality is that immigrants have made positive contributions to virtually all sectors of American life. In the economic spectrum especially, immigrants have clearly been prominent participants in the growth of the U.S. economy. For example, in my hometown of Miami, the number of businesses, large and small, owned by Cubans has grown from barely 900 in 1967, to over 28,000 in 1990.”