Sheila Jackson Lee: “I thank the distinguished gentleman for yielding the time. I would offer to say that those Guatemalan Americans, El…”

“I thank the distinguished gentleman for yielding the time. I would offer to say that those Guatemalan Americans, El Salvadoran Americans, those Americans from the country of Mexico, and others who serve in the United States military, certainly reflect the diversity of this Nation. I would offer to say that, sadly, this is the image that is America today. It is not the Statue of Liberty. I stand to oppose this bill because I know, as a member of the Homeland Security Committee, we had a plan that was bipartisan that would provide for border security that included technology and barriers. Now, we have succumbed to a process which every good-thinking person has to oppose, including the business community. Law enforcement opposes this legislation, in particular, because it makes communities less safe. Just this week a Texas sheriff's deputy was arrested for sexually assaulting a 4-year-old girl and threatening to deport the undocumented mother if she reported the claim. Good law enforcement officers understand that they need to have people report the crime. We know that it was an immigrant, a researcher, who helped us get the polio vaccine. Finally, young people who now are coming to this country, snatched away from their parents, unaccompanied youngsters as well, will no longer have the protections of the special immigrant juvenile status.…”