Political Quotes

“I am proud to recognize Ms. Esther Olavarria, an extraordinary public servant who has worked for decades to build an immigration system that is fair and just for all. I know Esther from her time in the Senate as Senator Kennedy's lead advisor on immigration matters for the Judiciary Committee. In the Senate and more recently in the administration, Esther's intelligent, thoughtful advice and analysis has been invaluable. She is stepping down this week after serving as senior counselor to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Johnson. I have no doubt the Secretary will miss her, as I do here in the Senate. Esther was an early appointee of the Obama administration, serving first as a member of the President's transition team on immigration, then as the Department's Deputy Assistant Secretary for Immigration and Border Security and later as counselor to Secretary Janet Napolitano. During that time she advocated fixing our Nation's broken immigration system and the pressing need to provide protection for asylees and refugees, improve detention conditions, and ensure accountability and transparency in immigration enforcement. In 2013, Esther was asked to serve as the White House Director of Immigration Reform. Her wealth of experience made her an invaluable asset in our bipartisan effort to pass the Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act in 2013.…”