Political Quotes

“I'd like to thank the gentleman from California. Madam Speaker, it's been 20 days since the Senate passed overwhelmingly a bipartisan immigration reform bill. In the House Judiciary Committee, we've considered four controversial bills, none of which address the 11 million people that are already here. In south Florida, for example, there are thousands of Venezuelan families stuck in an immigration system with some combination of legal or undocumented status. They came to this country fleeing Chavismo and have since purchased homes, started businesses, and invested millions in our community. Earlier this year, I introduced a bill, the Venezuelan Liberty Act, which would allow any Venezuelan who had been in the United States since Chavez was elected to adjust to permanent-resident status. This is similar to what Congress passed in 1997 with the Nicaraguan Adjustment Act and the Central American Relief Act. However, because we have yet to consider any sort of legalization path, the House Judiciary Committee has not yet had the opportunity to consider this bill as an amendment or to debate on how best to bring people out of the shadows. And Venezuelans aren't alone. The Haitians, the Africans, the Central Americans on TPS, the young people who are covered under DACA continue to live their lives in immigration limbo while the House has yet to act. Immigration reform isn't about politics. It's about our Nation's values. It's about our economy. It's about our future.…”