Shri Thanedar

Last month we had the opportunity to meet with port operators, including from the port of Detroit in my district, my home district, regarding the security of our Nation's maritime ports.

Today I'm eager to hear from our witnesses about how Federal agencies work together to protect our ports and safeguard the free flow of commerce.

Thank you, Chairman Gimenez, for calling this important hearing.

It is vital for our national security and our economic future that we invest in protecting our seaports from attacks.

So it would be irresponsible for us to stop this bilateral inspections of each other's ports.

How can we expedite these processes in terms of implementation of the requirements of the Safe Port Act of 2006?

The fact is, our border security challenges are a symptom of the broader failure to overhaul our immigration system.

We must expand legal pathways for immigration, including by raising the cap for H1B visas.

Refusing to fund the initiative because a tiny fraction of funding would go to headquarters employees would be nothing more than a sorry excuse.

We couldn't have asked for a better partner than Canada.

Michigan exports approximately 21.7 billion in goods to Canada annually.

My home State of Michigan is also a shining example of how efficient cross-border cooperation with Canada can benefit both our countries.

I want to point out that the infrastructure bill funds 20 modernization projects at ports of entry.

We cannot solve these problems without addressing the root causes by fixing our broken immigration system and creating expanded legal pathways to the United States.

Increasing numbers of migrants have been taking to the seas to attempt to reach our shores, often in overcrowded, extremely dangerous vessels--and tragically, some of them do not survive the journey.

In January, the Biden administration announced the creation of a new legal pathway for up to Cubans and Haitians, as well as Venezuelans and Nicaraguans, to enter the United States on a 2-year parole.

I look forward to working alongside our Chairman and all Members of this subcommittee on a bipartisan basis to secure our transportation and maritime systems.

I am honored to serve as the Ranking Member of this subcommittee, and I look forward to working alongside our Chairman and all Members of the subcommittee on a bipartisan basis to secure our transportation and maritime systems from those…

Unfortunately, instead of recognizing these tragic circumstances and seeking solution for this humanitarian crisis, my Republican colleagues seem to be more interested in playing political games to try to place blame on the Biden…

The vast majority of migrants taking to the sea are coming from Haiti, Cuba, where political instability, poverty, and an oil refinery explosion, and a devastating hurricane have pushed people past their breaking points.

I stand today to speak about the importance of uplifting small businesses in our country. About 50 percent of U.S. GDP is generated by small businesses. Despite this, big corporations seem to always rake in big profits during economic…

If we can get legal immigration right, we can fix this problem.

As an immigrant myself, I am a proud example of how immigrants contribute to American society.

Even worse, we often hear rhetoric scapegoating immigrants for increasing crime and taking American jobs.

Unfortunately, this American dream is available to far too few.