Political Quotes

“we are here today to talk about people, not pages of legislation. This bill represents human beings, real people-- yes, immigrants. I am going to talk about two of them today. Over 20 years ago Astrid Silva crossed the Rio Grande River in a rubber raft wearing a ruffled dress and patent leather shoes. She was 4 years old. She was a baby. She doesn't remember Mexico, the country where she was born. She does remember the day she left Mexico. She cried. She cried because the only thing she could take with her was her baptismal cross and a doll. Her mother cried because although the river was narrow, she knew the current was swift and dangerous--very dangerous. Mother and daughter survived, ducked under a border fence, and began their new lives in America. A decade passed before Astrid realized she had come to America illegally, without proper immigration papers. Her parents cautiously, slowly explained this to their daughter. Astrid's eighth grade class was going to leave Las Vegas and take a trip back here to the Nation's Capital. Astrid couldn't go. She didn't go. Her parents were afraid to let her travel for fear she would be arrested. She was undocumented. Flying, you see, without proper identification meant running the risk of being detained or deported. A few years later, when Astrid's friends learned to drive, Astrid once again was separated from her friends. She couldn't learn to drive.…”