Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, this is a really tough bill because this is a really difficult subject. We mourn the loss of Kate Steinle, and we have an obligation to take action to keep our streets safe. But this bill doesn't do that. Our goal has to be to remove dangerous criminals from our streets so that they don't harm people. That has got to be our focus. That is why I am so frustrated that we are taking out of a comprehensive immigration reform bill--which could have done just that--a provision that would have addressed this issue in a more rational way; in a way that doesn't go after people seeking asylum; in a way that doesn't say, ``If you have been convicted of three nonviolent misdemeanors, you go to jail for 10 years;'' and in a way that doesn't punish people who are victims of human trafficking who--if they spent time in our prisons as a result of what they were forced to do, go back to their country, come back seeking asylum--could be forced to go to jail. These victims could be forced to go to jail for 20 years. None of that is going to keep our communities safer. We ought to work together. I urge my Republican colleagues to work with us to move forward with comprehensive immigration reform that will include provisions--like what is in this bill--that are still humane, provisions that will help keep American citizens safe, but that don't demonize immigrants. It is possible to do both.…”