Rubén Hinojosa: “As chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, I rise in opposition to H.R. 5230 and the underlying rule. I represent…”

“As chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, I rise in opposition to H.R. 5230 and the underlying rule. I represent McAllen, Texas, which has been the epicenter for this humanitarian crisis. For years, my Republican colleagues have been ignoring the problems caused by their inaction on immigration reform. They have cut funding for immigration judges, so that people wait years to have their cases heard. They have cut funding to help the countries of Central America deal with the internal problems causing their children to flee. The Republican solution has always been more walls and fences and more soldiers to militarize the border. I live on that border of Texas and Mexico, and I know that their enforcement-only approach is not working because it doesn't address the root cause of immigration. It has been economically devastating to border communities who vainly try to persuade companies to move their plants and factories to our region to create jobs and bring us out of poverty that is the highest in the Nation. Our veterans suffer because the VA can't get doctors to move to the border. All these companies and doctors hear is that the border is a war zone flooded with dangerous immigrants. That is not the border I know. My border home is a vibrant, educated, fast-growing, culturally diverse, welcoming region. I am proud of how we have embraced these children and families.…”