Political Quotes

“I thank Ranking Member Thompson for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the GOP's extreme and punitive immigration legislation, H.R. 2, also known as the child deportation act. This cruel legislation would force draconian restrictions and punishments on migrants and asylum seekers and set America's immigration priorities back years. At the cost of $6.1 billion, this bill would eliminate the right to asylum in America, a process millions upon millions have enjoyed over the generations. Vulnerable, desperate people and families have long depended on these laws for their safety and future. Moreover, it would affect the legal status of over 4 million people who would otherwise be granted parole or asylum. Instead of fostering immigration that strengthens our economy and empowers its growth, Republicans would rather throw our economy into a tailspin. So let's be clear: Any bill that would allow vulnerable migrant children to be inhumanely detained by Border Patrol for up to a month, to be ripped from their families and locked up from the world, is unacceptable. It is fundamentally un-American. ``Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. . . . `' I need not remind you, Mr. Speaker, what those words adorn nor what they represent.…”