Political Quotes

On the recordAugust 5, 2020
I come to the Senate floor to speak about a topic that is very close to my heart. As the son of Cuban refugees and as a first-generation American, the struggles of immigrant families are not something I read about in books or watched on television. I lived them. I saw with my own eyes what it meant to grow up in an immigrant family in a low-income tenement in Union City, NJ. My mother worked tirelessly as a seamstress and sacrificed everything to make sure that my siblings and I could have a better life and a better future, because that is the very essence of what we call the American dream. It is about ensuring that the next generation has it better than we do and that our children and grandchildren and their children and grandchildren have greater opportunities than we do to realize their full potential. It doesn't matter who you are, where you are from, or when your ancestors came to this country. We are a nation built by immigrants. Every single member of this great and storied body is a descendant of those who came to America, seeking better lives for themselves and their loved ones. The President is a second-generation American. His grandfather, Friedrich Trump, came here from Germany. Our First Lady is herself an immigrant. Yet this administration and President Trump have gone to painstaking lengths to deny, erase, and ignore the contributions of immigrants to American life and culture, innovation and ingenuity, economy and prosperity.…
Said by
Bob Menendez
Democratic · New Jersey

Share

More from Bob Menendez

Jan 28, 2025

This whole process has been nothing but a political witch hunt.

nytimes.com
Apr 17, 2024

It is undeniable that it has reestablished the United States' position as a reliable global partner.

congress.gov
Jul 22, 2024

The training, I think, is probably one of the largest items...

congress.gov
May 6, 2025

Last month, an air tourism helicopter crashed into the Hudson River near Jersey City killing six people, including three young children. This tragedy is yet another example of the threat that nonessential helicopters pose to public safety…

govinfo.gov

Other voices in this conversation