Sheila Jackson Lee: “I thank the gentlewoman for her leadership and the ranking member for his leadership. Madam Chair, this is a full force…”

“I thank the gentlewoman for her leadership and the ranking member for his leadership. Madam Chair, this is a full force assault on immigrants. It is an assault on the integrity of this Nation which was built upon the investment and the love of this country by immigrants from all over the world. As I look to the landscape of what we now confront--2,000 dead in Nigeria by Boko Haram, little girls dressed with suicide bombs, and Homeland Security being held hostage by an assault on immigration--let me say to you that the Constitution has given the President the authority under the ``take care'' provision, so this assault of amendments that is trying to chip away at these executive actions is a false premise in order to attack the ideas and the values of this Nation. In my own State, if the actions of the President's are in place, we will gain $8.2 billion in gross domestic product and $19.2 billion over 10 years, a decade. Do you think we need the underlying amendment or amendments? Pastors and religious leaders--the Episcopal bishops--have indicated that they support the executive actions. The Catholic bishops support the executive actions. The Aderholt amendment wants to attack those young DREAMers who want to invest and young soldiers. The Blackburn amendment wants to take away, if you will, the childhood arrivals. Mr. DeSantis wants to misrepresent to victims of human trafficking and domestic violence. Mr.…”