On the recordMarch 18, 2021
As I stood on the floor of the House for H.R. 6, this is not amnesty. I thank the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lofgren) for her leadership, and Mr. Nadler as well. Madam Speaker, let me explain to you that under the American Dream and Promise Act, which immigrants are eligible for, they would have 43,500 homes and $340 million in mortgage payments. Today, I rise in support of H.R. 1603 because this would allow farmworkers, agricultural workers, to be able to gain legal status and to be able to seek a certified agricultural worker status. Dr. Ruiz, our colleague, indicated that he was raised by farmworkers. He saw the bent hands, the bent banks, and the broken hands, and he saw the patriotism. This is not amnesty. I will tell you what it is not. It is not the Trump policy of caging children in cages. It is not the Trump policy of turning young 11-year-olds back across the border to be raped. I hope my colleagues who are talking about abortion and talking about rape voted for the Violence Again Women Act to really protect immigrant women. I rise to support this legislation because it will provide dignity, opportunity for an enhanced economic engine, as the farmworkers take certified status because they can do it over and over again. Where is the bread on our table coming from? The hardworking farmworkers who are out there every day in these fields working to provide for the American people and the people around the world.…
