Political Quotes

Joaquin Castro: He is right. And they are part of a long legacy of immigrants to this country. The United States has this paradoxical…

On the recordJanuary 17, 2018
He is right. And they are part of a long legacy of immigrants to this country. The United States has this paradoxical history when it comes to immigration. We are, of course, very proudly a nation of immigrants, but each wave of immigrants has also faced its own bouts with discrimination. When the Germans came here in the 1800s, they were said by some to be too dirty to be considered Americans. The Irish were greeted in cities like Boston and New York with signs that read ``NINA,'' no Irish need apply, for the jobs that were available. The Chinese were excluded from our country for decades. During World War II and the frenzy that ensued, Japanese Americans, but also Italian Americans and German Americans, were interned, including in my home State of Texas. In every generation Americans have also stood up and changed course and become more welcoming for each of those groups, and I believe that, in this generation, in this time, this is part of that shift, for Congress to finally address this issue head-on and fully welcome these DACA kids as Americans and pass legislation to do that. I thank Congressman Correa for his words. I yield to Congressman Suozzi, from the other side of the country, the wonderful State of New York, a freshman Congressman.
Said by
Joaquin Castro
Democratic · Texas
Source
govinfo.gov
Jan 17, 2018

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