Roland Gutierrez: “For generations immigrants have played a vital role in our economy, but today immigrants play the role of villain in the…”

“For generations immigrants have played a vital role in our economy, but today immigrants play the role of villain in the Republican's morality play. By exploiting a false image of millions of illegal immigrants crossing the border into the United States, Newt Gingrich and his Republican allies have crossed the border from decency to indecency. After all, under this bill the simple idea of uniting with your closest family members will become a luxury that only the wealthiest will be able to afford. The Republicans say they want to get tough on crime, so how do they do that? Under this bill legal immigrants are deportable for the crime of wanting to improve their education to adding something to this country. That is right, under this bill if you are a legal immigrant and you use public benefits, including a student loan for more than a year, you are shown the door. What does that accomplish? It means that we throw our young people who are taking steps to gain an education and job skills and, yes, improve their English skills also. It means that this bill does not simply punish immigrants, it punishes all Americans who benefit from contributions that immigrants make to our Nation. Let us defeat this sad, cynical, and shortsighted legislation.”