Political Quotes

“The other gentleman from New York has not put forward any evidence that immigrants, documented or undocumented, were involved in defrauding the COVID relief funds. Moreover, everything he said basically was irrelevant to this bill. We are not talking about the southern border crisis. We are not talking about the general policies of the Biden administration or the Trump administration or H.R. 2 or the Senate bill. All of that is beyond the scope of this bill. What we are talking about in this bill is not making, as the gentleman said, illegal immigrants, but lawful permanent residents, deportable for fraud on COVID loans or grants without being convicted of a crime, something you cannot do for lawful permanent residents accused of murder, rape, or sexual abuse of a minor, because for those things a conviction is required. This bill would set aside due process and say no conviction is required to deport someone for the crime of COVID fraud, although such a conviction is required for much more serious offenses. It makes no sense and it is abhorrent to our legal system to make people have heavy penalties, people who have lived in this country for many years, to be deportable without any due process and without conviction of a crime. For that reason, this amendment and this bill should be defeated. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. The SPEAKER pro tempore.…”