Political Quotes

“I thank the gentlelady from Ohio, the distinguished CBC chair, for her remarks and her observations. I think there were several important points that were raised by our chair, Congresswoman Fudge. First, sometimes the immigration reform debate has been characterized as perhaps just a Latino issue. At other times it's been characterized as perhaps an Asian issue. There are times that the immigration reform debate is characterized as an Eastern European issue. But really, immigration reform is an American issue. It cuts to the heart of who we are and what we will become. It affects every community. And as Congresswoman Fudge indicated, there are black immigrants in the United States to whom the issue of creating a pathway towards citizenship is extremely important. It's estimated that there are 3 million black immigrants in this country. Approximately 400,000 are undocumented. Who are these immigrants of African descent? Some are from the Caribbean, two-thirds of which are from nation states such as Jamaica, Trinidad, and Haiti. Others are from the continent of Africa. They are from countries like Nigeria and Ghana, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Eritrea. I'm pleased that we've been joined by the distinguished gentlelady from the Ninth Congressional District in New York, who represents one of the largest immigrant populations for a congressional district not just in the city of New York, but anywhere in this Nation. She's been a dynamic leader on this issue.”