Congratulating the University of Washington women's softball team for winning the 2009 Women's College World Series.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of this Congressional Black Caucus' Special Order this evening.

Madam Speaker, I am honored to rise today, along with my other colleagues, in honor of Caribbean American Heritage Month. This month marks the fourth anniversary of officially recognizing Caribbean American Heritage Month. And I want to applaud you, Madam Speaker, the Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, for introducing the legislation and getting it passed in February of 2006. President Bush officially proclaimed it for the very first time in June of that year.

The efforts to get us to that point began long before, though, with the Institute for Caribbean Studies, which started observing June as Caribbean American Heritage Month in 1999. So I want to also take this opportunity to applaud the work and leadership of its president, Dr. Claire Nelson, of Jamaican heritage.

I also want to recognize the Carib News Foundation for its work over the years to bring Caribbean and United States leaders together to discuss issues of common interest over the past 14 years. They filled an important gap.

Recent attempts to officially bridge this gap began in 1997, when President Clinton traveled to Barbados where the Bridgetown Declaration was crafted. This important declaration affirmed our common resolve to fight crime, violence, corruption, drug and illegal drug trafficking while, as President Clinton said, ``promoting open and fair trade, protecting the environment, strengthening education, spreading telecommunications, and helping Caribbean countries diversify their economies and become more competitive as well.''

Upon his return, he submitted the Caribbean Basin Trade Enhancement Act, which Congress passed. The cooperation was further affirmed with the historic meetings held in June of 2007 between the heads of Caribbean governments and the Bush-Cheney administration and this Congress. This commitment was renewed and reinvigorated at the Summit of the Americas held in the Caribbean nations of Trinidad and Tobago in April of this year with the active participation and leadership of our President, Barack Obama, who set a new tone for our relationship with the region.

But the relationship has even predated the birth of this Nation. In 1751, our very first President, George Washington, reported to have had family connections in Barbados, traveled there with his brother for a health-related matter in November of 1751. They stayed 2 months, and he is said to have been enchanted by the island and the Caribbean.

Over the years, many Congressional Black Caucus members have worked tirelessly to raise awareness and keep us focused and invested in ongoing affairs in the Caribbean. We have done this through Chairman Rangel's efforts with the Caribbean Basin legislation and other initiatives, Congresswoman Waters, who worked so hard to save the banana industry and who was then Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. She and I traveled to Barbados in 1997 for that historic meeting.

I also want to recognize the special work done by Congressman Donald Payne, who is the founding Chair of the Friends of the Caribbean Caucus, and Congressman Kendrick Meek, Congressman Gregory Meeks, and of course Congresswoman Yvette Clarke. But, truly, all of the Congressional Black Caucus members are champions of the causes of the Caribbean.

Last year, one of our great achievements, led by Congressman Donald Payne and you, Madam Speaker, Congresswoman Lee, in one of those great efforts, PEPFAR was extended to all of the Caribbean for the very first time. Two months ago, health ministers and CARICOM leaders met to draft the 5-year plan which would build on the PANCAP, the Pan Caribbean Partnership, to address HIV and AIDS in this region. The Shirley Chisholm United States Caribbean Educational Exchange Act of 2009, introduced, again, by Congressional Black Caucus chairwoman and Madam Speaker Lee, is now working its way through Congress. It will help to build a stronger Caribbean workforce and promote greater collaboration between the United States and the Caribbean, as well as a sharing of values and culture.

Madam Speaker, I do have a few colleagues here with me this evening, and I would like to yield some time to them so that they may bring some remarks about the special month that we're celebrating in which we are recognizing the contributions of people from the Caribbean to the United States.

So at this time, I will yield such time as she might consume to Congresswoman Yvette Clarke.

Thank you, Congresswoman Clarke, for your remarks this evening. And thank you, most of all, though, for your leadership on behalf of the Caribbean countries. We appreciate the work that you do both on your committee, the subcommittee that you Chair on Homeland Security, and in all of the work that addresses issues in the Caribbean. Thank you for joining us this evening.

I would like now to yield to the gentlewoman from Texas, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee.

Thank you, Congresswoman Jackson-Lee, and thank you for your hard work, your service, and your support for all issues relating to the Caribbean. I know you are very proud of your Jamaican heritage because you speak of it very often. Thank you.

At this time I would like to yield such time as he might consume to the founding Chair of the Friends of the Caribbean Caucus, the gentleman from New Jersey, Congressman Donald Payne.

Thank you, Congressman Payne, and thank you for your leadership both as our leader on Africa and global health as well as for all of the work that you've done with us in the Caribbean Caucus. Thank you for joining us this evening.

There are so many men and women of Caribbean American heritage who have contributed greatly, and so many events that have created ties that forever bind us together. President Obama in his proclamation this year, recognizing Caribbean American Heritage Month wrote, ``Generations of immigrants have preserved the traditions of their homeland, and these traditions have defined our Nation's identity. This multi-lingual and multi-ethnic tradition has strengthened our social fabric and enriched the diversity of our Nation.'' He continues, ``We are neighbors, partners and friends. We share the same aspirations for our children, and we strive for the very same freedoms. Together we can meet the common challenges we face.''

I want to highlight several of those ties that bind. The birth of our Nation was supported by many Caribbean islands. Many do not know that the guns that were manned by the colonies during the American Revolution were gunpowdered by shipments from the Caribbean. While I believe most of it originated from St. Kitts, it was in the St. Croix Harbor in the then Danish West Indies where that gunpowder was loaded for shipment to the early colonies. In fact, it was also in that St. Croix Harbor, according to Robert Amandus Johnson in his book Saint Croix 1770 to 1776, that the first salute to the Stars and Stripes occurred in June of 1776.

And, of course, there is the direct relationship between Haiti and New Orleans, the latter of which in the beginning of the 19th century was considered a minor adjunct to the island which was then considered France's most valuable possession. It was only after Napoleon failed to reconquer the colony after the Africans had won their freedom and begun to establish their republic, only then did he decide to sell the Louisiana Territory. Many from the island of Saint Domingue who had fled that island became early inhabitants of New Orleans, contributing to the culture which is so recognized and renowned today.

There are also many U.S. Virgin Islanders today and in the past and from the then Danish West Indies who have and who continue to contribute much to our Nation. I have spoken of many of them on several occasions, people like Casper Holstein. Congressman Payne mentioned Raymond Jones. Jon Lucien in music, Emile Griffith in boxing, Valmy Thomas, Horace Clarke and Tim Duncan in sports. There are many, many others.

One, Denmark Vesey, was born in St. Thomas and settled in Charleston, South Carolina, one of my favorite cities. He settled there in 1783. Seventeen years later he bought his freedom, and inspired, I am sure, by the 1733 African rebellion of St. John and the 1791 successful African rebellion in the Isle of Saint Domingue, now Haiti, he also planned a well-known slave uprising that was to have taken place in 1822, but was thwarted.

I would be truly remiss if I didn't speak briefly about Alexander Hamilton, who has been named several times this evening, who was born in Nevis, which is now a part of the independent nation of St. Kitts and Nevis, and who spent his formative years in St. Croix before coming to New York and eventually becoming, as Ron Chernow puts it, ``Arguably the most important figure in American history who never attained the Presidency, but had a far more lasting impact than many who did.''

Alexander Hamilton was credited with having been Washington's aide- de-camp, a Revolutionary War hero, a member of the Constitutional Convention, the leading author of the Federalist Papers and head of the Federalist Party, as well as the first Secretary of the Treasury, who forged our tax and budget systems. I bet he would have let us budget for prevention, as we are trying to do in health care reform. He started the Customs Service, the Coast Guard, and the Central Bank.

We are proud that he was a Virgin Islander, a Crucian, and we are seeking to make his family home, the site where his mother was buried, a part of the National Park Service. It carries the same name as his home in New York City, Grange.

There have been many Caribbean men and women who have served in Congress and in our Nation's administration.

As a woman of Caribbean decent and a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus, Shirley Chisholm led the way for Congresswoman Yvette Clarke and I. As a pioneering minority woman, her legacy holds the door open for many more African Americans and women.

Then there was Mervyn Dymally, Ron de Lugo, Melvin Evans, Victor Frazier, and all who have served as Resident Commissioners from Puerto Rico, as well as Members of Puerto Rican and Cuban heritage who are also Caribbean Americans and who serve today and have served in the past in this body.

Many more of our Nation's leaders trace their roots to the Caribbean, such

as our former Secretary of State Colin Powell, Attorney General Eric Holder, Assistant Secretary of the Interior-designee Wilma Lewis, and Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. But there are many others.

We may look back as far as the period to 1900 to 1920, which marked the initiation of mass labor migration from the Caribbean to the United States and the formation of the first large Caribbean communities here in this country.

We should not forget World War I, when the recruitment of labor from the Caribbean became imperative. More than 100,000 Caribbean laborers were recruited for agricultural and tedious jobs as part of war labor. We should acknowledge the Caribbean men and women who served our country and those who continue to serve this country overseas in its conflicts today.

So I feel it has been an honor and privilege as a Caribbean American, whose roots lie in Cuba, Antigua, St. Kitts and the Danish Indies, now the Virgin Islands, to host this hour, where the Congressional Black Caucus has recognized and paid tribute to Caribbean American heritage.

Thank you. Let me commend the Congressional Black Caucus and its chairperson, leader this evening, Barbara Lee from California, for the outstanding job that she is doing as Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. As the caucus moves forward, being the conscience of the Congress, let me also commend Representative Fudge, who is from the great State of Ohio, who continues to lead the Special Orders on our evenings, and of course our Caribbean queen, Delegate Donna Christian- Christensen, who, as you know, is our representative from the U.S. Virgin Islands. Not only is she an expert on the Caribbean but, as we all know, she is an internist, a physician and has been very, very helpful as we move forward in very difficult health care reform. Her input is invaluable. I also want to commend her for the recent involvement in a documentary about the relationship between St. Croix and Puerto Rico that went through the history of the sugarcane industry back at the turn of the century in the late 1800s, early 1900s and the number of Puerto Ricans who came to St. Croix to work there. This was shown last weekend, will be shown in New York, and has received many praises for the interesting history that it brings about.

Let me just say that it's a pleasure to be here--as chairman of the Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health but also as Chair of the Caribbean Caucus, the bipartisan caucus that we have here--to kind of expand our relationship with the Caribbean. This Caribbean American Heritage Month is well deserved. It's recognizing the diversity and success of people from the Caribbean. You've heard other speakers talk about the many people from the Caribbean who have been so outstanding. The achievements and impacts made from Caribbean people have continually made a positive contribution to the well-being of American society. We could go back to our beginning with Alexander Hamilton, who came from St. Kitts, our first Secretary of the Treasury. Secretary Colin Powell is from the Caribbean as well as Cicely Tyson, W.E.B. DuBois, James Weldon Johnson, Malcolm X, Harry Belafonte, Sidney Poitier, and, in my own district, two people that I might talk about here, Antoinette K. Ellis-Williams and Dr. Claire Nelson. Dr. Claire Nelson, the founder and president of the Institute of Caribbean Studies, is known for her leadership in making Caribbean Americans heard. I am proud to say I work with her on a regular basis, as many of us do; and we admire her and the great work that she does. We just had the opportunity to be with her last week, and we are extremely pleased at the outstanding work that the institute is doing. The second person that I mentioned, Dr. Antoinette K. Ellis-Williams, a leader in my congressional district, currently serves as president for the Essex Valley Health Care and serves on the board of East Orange General Hospital. She is a proactive member of the Caribbean Medical Mission, a nonprofit organization of doctors, nurses, health care workers, engineers and other professionals who give back to the community through their services. She is a founder and director of the Statewide Female Leadership Development Institute and Research Center at the New Jersey City Institute.

The Caribbean community's presence also plays a wide role in our elections, especially in my district, where the greater settlement of many people from the Caribbean in East Orange, Irvington and Newark make their voices heard. In past elections we have seen many people from the Caribbean community educate fellow Caribbean Americans about the U.S. political process and encourage their participation in the democratic process.

In recognizing June as Caribbean month, in my work with the caucus, this Congress has continually focused on enhancing relationships between the United States and the Caribbean states by reviewing proposals and pending legislation that have a direct impact on the Caribbean. I believe that by facilitating an ongoing dialogue, we can continue to recognize the Caribbean as America's third border for trade, for political stability, for the fight against drug trafficking and for economic development. We need to remember that the Caribbean is not just a place for vacationing, but it's a place in need of economic development. With the current open trade regime, the challenge for the Caribbean is to quickly develop high productivity sectors that could drive the region's development. We know that the same problems that have stricken us in the U.S. have stricken the Caribbean. HIV and AIDS has become a problem, but we're very pleased that the PEPFAR program now has been expanded to 14 Caribbean countries. In 2005 an estimated 300,000 adults and children in the Caribbean were reported living with HIV, making it the leading cause of death among adults aged 15 to 44. We know that in Haiti, life expectancy has also been impacted tremendously by HIV and AIDS.

However, like I said, we have a tremendous relationship with our friends in the Caribbean. There are several problems that we need to help them with.

Deportation. As you know, in 1996 the U.S. law changed that anyone convicted of an offense had to face deportation from the United States; and as a result, many of these small nation countries have had to absorb persons who may have come to the United States as infants but have engaged in crime and now are sent back 20, 30, 40 years later as hardened criminals; and many of the countries in the Caribbean are having a difficult time dealing with these deportees. Another problem that we see is with the drug trafficking in Mexico. We're finding that they are pushing drug trafficking into the Caribbean, and we need to assist the Caribbean in fighting this and give them assistance with law enforcement, training and Coast Guard assistance. But we are very proud of many of the Haitians, as I mentioned. Track and field is something that they have excelled in. I

recall when I was running back in the early fifties, George Rhoden was a quarter miler who won the gold medal in the Helsinki Olympics. George Rhoden and many other Jamaicans came up and went to Morgan State University. At the Penn Relays, these Jamaicans in the late forties and early fifties started to get recognition. And we know that in the Beijing Olympics, Usain Bolt, at 20, 21 years old, won the 100 meters and the 200 meters. He was one of the youngest persons to ever win those events, and the first person since Mr. Lewis from New Jersey to win both sprints in the Olympics. We have had many outstanding people that started politics in New York, Hulan Jack, way back, a fellow from St. Lucia. He was born in 1905, moved up to New York, a high school dropout, went to work for a company, and worked his way up from a janitor to become a vice president of the firm. He became active in politics, and he became a New York City Democratic political leader, loyal to the Tammany Hall operation, which was run then by a fellow named Carmine De Sapio. But in 1940 Hulan Jack won seven straight elections to the New York State Assembly, representing his Harlem district. And in 1953, Hulan Jack was elected to borough president of Manhattan, becoming the first African American to hold the post. Elected more than a decade before the rise of big city black mayors in the sixties, Hulan Jack was the highest ranking African American municipal officer in the Nation. With an annual salary at that time of $25,000, he was the highest paid black office holder in the country. He served as Manhattan Borough president for several terms; and because of his emerging strength, the powers that be interrupted his career, and he left office. But Hulan Jack showed that politics was something that many of our Caribbean folks brought to the leadership of politics in our country.

I'll just finally end with a person that we all admired so much and has been mentioned earlier, Mr. Michael Manley, son of Norman Manley who served as the Prime Minister from '59 to '62. Michael Manley came in and became a three-term Prime Minister from '72 to '80 and '89 to '92, and he stepped down because of bad health. But just look at what Michael Manley did in Jamaica: Minimum wage for all workers; free education at secondary and university level, to the extent that space was available; instituted a literacy campaign; subdivision of what he called idle land to poor blacks, a formation of agrarian cooperatives where they worked together; price control on numerous staples to benefit the poor; reduction of the voting age to 18, thus increasing the black vote that then was able to continue to move forward. Listen to this--institutionalizing paid maternity leave and free milk to mothers. This was way back then in Jamaica where, as you know, we are still fighting to get family leave instituted in some of our States in the United States of America 30 years later. A person like Mr. Michael Manley did such an outstanding job. So we're just pleased to celebrate this heritage month.

Once again, I certainly commend the gentlelady from the U.S. Virgin Islands for her leadership. I know that we will have a wonderful month as we celebrate the great attributes that people from the Caribbean have made not only to the United States, and Europe but of course the Caribbean.

Madam Speaker, I have a motion at the desk.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

The motion to instruct conferees is very simple. Madam Speaker. It would prohibit the transfer of Gitmo prisoners to the United States. It ensures the detainee pictures are never made public, and it mandates the conference report is made public at least 72 hours before being considered on the floor. It's that simple. And that's exactly what the Homeland Security appropriation bill is all about, protecting the American people from all threats, including the warped intentions of terrorists and radical extremists.

Let me state my sincere gratitude to Subcommittee Chairman David Price for listening to the views of the minority during all of these proceedings, during our preconference deliberations especially over the last few weeks. I truly appreciate his bipartisanship and consideration of our concerns.

Madam Speaker, this motion strengthens the House bill's current restrictions on Guantanamo Bay detainees by ensuring their names have been put on the No Fly List and by clearly prohibiting their transfer to the United States for whatever reason. For 9 months, the Obama administration has insisted the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay be shuttered within the year. But what have we seen during that time in preparation for that? Absolutely nothing, no plan, no idea of how to proceed, no instructions to the Congress, no instructions to the public about where these prisoners would be moved to.

Now we read in the press that the administration is thinking of releasing up to 75 of the detainees there. Where will they go? Europe, Fiji, maybe somewhere closer. Maybe in Michigan, maybe in Kansas, maybe somewhere else in the U.S. Who knows. Certainly the Members in those districts in the U.S. don't know. So this motion prohibits the granting of any immigration benefit for any reason to these detainees. Without such a benefit, there is no legal way to bring these terrorists to American soil and in our constituents' backyards. That means these terrorists cannot be granted the same constitutional rights as American citizens. After all, these detainees are enemy combatants caught on the battlefield. They are not common criminals, and they should not be granted legal standing in our criminal courts by bringing them onto U.S. soil.

From my point of view, we can't waiver on this issue, nor can we be weak. There is no reason these terrorists, who pose a serious and documented threat to this Nation, cannot be brought to justice right where they are in Cuba at Guantanamo Bay. If we want to try them, there is the place. I certainly think that that is where the American people stand on this issue as well. They don't want these terrorists in their hometowns, inciting fellow prisoners in our prisons, abusing our legal system and terrorizing their communities.

In addition, Madam Speaker, this motion insists upon the Senate's language prohibiting the release of detainee pictures, language unanimously adopted in the Senate, supported by this Chamber in June and endorsed by President Obama himself by way of his letter to the Senate on July 29. In that letter, I think the President said it best himself: ``Nothing would be gained

by the release of the detainee photos other than allowing our enemies to paint our troops with a broad, damning, and inaccurate brush.'' I frankly couldn't agree more.

And finally, Madam Speaker, this motion also requires the conference report to be made public at least 72 hours before being brought to the floor for consideration. We want to read the bill before we vote.

So Madam Speaker, the ongoing terrorist investigations ranging from Denver to New York to Dallas over the last few weeks and the persistent attacks by radical extremists upon our citizens, our soldiers and our interests overseas remind us of why there is absolutely no reason to bring a terrorist to American soil or to release images that endanger this great country and its Armed Forces.

I urge support of the motion.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself 2 minutes.

Madam Speaker, this motion prohibits the granting of any benefits to the detainees at Guantanamo to be brought here for criminal prosecution.

As Mr. Obey has just said, these are enemy combatants caught, captured on a battlefield. They are not criminal defendants; they are prisoners in a war. Prisoners in a war.

They can and have been tried by the military tribunals at Guantanamo. My understanding is that there were five military tribunal proceedings ongoing until this administration halted those proceedings, trying to figure out what they want to do next.

But my point is these are not criminal defendants; these are enemy combatants captured on a battlefield. They are prisoners of war and should be treated as such, as they have been at Guantanamo. Do not bring them to the U.S. for any purpose. Why would you bring an enemy captured prisoner of war to your country, give them the Miranda warnings, and proceed to a trial as you would an American citizen? It's beyond any question, I think.

These detainees, many of them, those who posed a minimal security threat, have been shuttled off to other foreign countries, leaving hundreds of suspected terrorists, hardened killers that are unwelcome by any place on Earth to be potentially bound for American soil.

Madam Speaker, we need to take a very serious step back and closely examine what we are thinking of doing.

I yield myself an additional 2 minutes.

This motion clarifies and says they would not be brought here for any, any, purpose, including prosecution.

Now, if you have any doubts about the kind of people we are talking about, read the resumes of these detainees. Read them, and you will have no doubt that these are enemy combatants sworn to kill you and every American they can find. And you want to bring them to the U.S.? It's insane, Madam Speaker. It's insane.

Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to a very distinguished former trial judge in the State of Texas for 21 years, Judge Carter.

May I inquire of the time remaining.

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis).

We have no further speakers, Madam Speaker, and I would be prepared to yield to the gentleman for a close.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. In closing, this is a very simple motion to instruct the conferees on Homeland Security. One, prohibit the transfer of Gitmo prisoners to the U.S., period. Two, insist on the Senate language prohibiting the release of detainee photographs. And three, require that this bill be available at least 72 hours before the bill is brought to the floor so that Members may have a chance to read and consider before they vote on the conference report. That's simple.

These people in Gitmo, if you read their resumes, and study their history, they are not criminal defendants in the sense that most people understand that phrase to be in the U.S. These are hardened killers captured on the battlefield, and they are prisoners of war subject to a military tribunal hearing at Gitmo, which was proceeding until stopped by this administration. They are not criminal defendants. They are hardened criminals on the battlefield captured in the process of trying to kill American soldiers. Pure and simple.

Now, this motion to instruct is in line with Chairman Inouye in the Senate, who has similar prohibitions in his bill for the Defense appropriations bill. This mirrors what the Senate leadership wants the policy of the country to be. And so I would hope all Members would vote for this motion to instruct conferees and keep our position in line with the Senate in prohibiting prisoners at Gitmo from being brought to the U.S., period.

Madam Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Let me thank the gentlewoman for yielding to me, and allow me to acknowledge as well the Congressional Black Caucus for the collective effort that they have made and thank our present chairwoman for the 2004 resolution, House Resolution 517, that ultimately was proclaimed by the President of the United States. This is an enriching day and an opportunity for us to emphasize the vastness of diversity that is in this country, and I stand here as a Caribbean American proudly exercising and relishing in the history of my ancestry.

Let me also acknowledge the work that we have collectively done. As the ranking member on the Immigration Subcommittee, we have had a history of working for the issues of parity as it relates to the opportunities for Haitians to become statused here in the United States, as we have seen the Cubans also have this opportunity through what we call the ``wet foot, dry foot'' provision. We have worked unending to ensure that that parity comes about. And as we look forward into the comprehensive immigration reform debate, I hope that language from the Save America comprehensive immigration legislation that I authored will be part of the debate so that our reform will include all aspects of those who are seeking to be statused and particularly those from the Caribbean.

We have worked on issues that addressed the questions of many Caribbean leaders when there was massive deportation of individuals from the United States who had never been to the Caribbean, had never been to the countries of their birth, and therefore were coming and providing the need for extra resources by Caribbean leaders. This is paying attention to the issues of the Caribbean and recognizing that they are a vital ally to us. And that was recognized by the recent organization of the meeting in the Caribbean in Trinidad where many Caribbean nations came, and I believe the new relationship was cemented between this new President, this Congress, and the Caribbean leaders.

So as we speak about the greatness of Caribbean Americans, I want to emphasize that we should also be engaged with the Caribbean as our allies, as those who can participate with us in homeland security and securing the borders, as we look to Caribbean Americans who have made great strides here in this country.

Caribbean Americans are educators, linguists, actors, athletes, soldiers, politicians, economists, historians, activists, doctors, lawyers, and everyday men and women. There are those of us who enjoy the music of the Caribbean, and certainly one of our most famous poets and musicians is Bob Marley, whose reggae music continues to permeate the music channels and the ears of Americans. We are proud of the contributions of Caribbean Americans. Those like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar; those like Timothy ``Tim'' Theodore Duncan; those like Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon; those like Sidney Poitier; those like Stokely Carmichael and Marcus Garvey; and, of course, Colin Powell, the former Secretary of State, a Caribbean American; certainly the Honorable Shirley Chisholm, who herself ran as an African American woman for President of the United States of America. Bold, unashamed of their roots and history, ready to make a difference, that is the character of Caribbean Americans and those who live in the Caribbean.

Let me also thank John Conyers, whom I worked with as we visited Haiti and went to see many of those who have been incarcerated because of the, if you will, inconsistency of leadership in Haiti. We are delighted to see President Preval leading out. We visited many who were political prisoners and worked with the then-Bush administration to try to secure their freedom. I want to continue to express my appreciation to Chairman Conyers for the work that he has continuously done working with the Jubilee that we celebrated in Haiti when we traveled there together.

So there are many aspects of the Caribbean that we can celebrate. I'm here to celebrate the great connection that I have had the privilege of having. And I'm delighted to be joined on the floor of the House by Congresswoman Donna Christensen as well as Congresswoman Yvette Clarke and Congressman Donald Payne and the chairwoman, who is now serving as the Speaker pro tempore. We do this because we want to ensure that people realize how great America is, and it is only great because it relies upon the strength of those who come from different cultures and bring that wonderment to our wonderful Nation.

So I want to acknowledge the creation of the Institute of Caribbean Studies in 1994. I want to acknowledge the ad hoc Caribbean Council of Washington, D.C., that disbanded, and ICS takes over leadership of celebrating June as Caribbean American Heritage Month in Washington, D.C. This is just part of the history that was generated in the bill to make this the month that we celebrate Caribbean Heritage Month.

Finally, might I say proudly that I want to speak of my grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Jackson. My grandmother and grandfather were true sons and daughters at that time of the King and

Queen because Jamaica was then a colony of Great Britain. However, their dignity allowed them to know that Jamaica could be a free and democratic nation. And through the leadership of those in Jamaica who recognized that it could be a free nation, they secured their freedom, and what a celebratory time that was.

I want to acknowledge so many prime ministers, but former Prime Minister Manley, former Prime Minister Seaga, former Prime Minister P.J. Patterson, all great leaders that brought greatness to the Caribbean, and to acknowledge the present prime minister as he continues to work, to acknowledge the first woman Prime Minister as well that was in Jamaica for at least a time in the last 2 years. We know that she has been called with great love and affection Prime Minister Portia, but we respect the service that she has given.

My grandparents left Jamaica and went to work in Panama in the Panama Canal, and I had the privilege of going to the Panama Canal for a Homeland Security mission and seeing my grandfather's name listed as one of those who worked on the Panama Canal. As he came to the United States and then settled between South Carolina and Brooklyn, New York, to know that he was part of that wonderful tradition of history and heritage, the wonderful cuisine of oxtails and rice and peas and plantains and many other good things that we continue to enjoy culturally in my family that I raised my children on, that I was raised on, so that this nexus of knowing your roots is so very key.

So what I say to all who are listening, this Nation is valuable because it respects the culture of all of us. And today we salute Caribbean Americans, and I have been privileged and proud to have served in the United States Congress with that history but also to work on a number of issues helping to make their land, their nation, better and creating a better partnership between the United States and Caribbean.

Madam Speaker, pursuant to clause 1 of rule XXII and by direction of the Committee on Appropriations, I move to take from the Speaker's table the bill (H.R. 2892) making appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2010, and for other purposes, with a Senate amendment thereto, disagree to the Senate amendment, and agree to the conference asked by the Senate.

Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to the motion to instruct offered by the gentleman from Kentucky and yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I want to begin by echoing the words of the ranking member. We have, indeed, enjoyed fruitful cooperation in formulating this bill and bringing it to this point. Mr. Rogers is a distinguished ranking member. He was the founding chairman of this subcommittee, and I think on both sides, we take pride in the process that we've developed that involves full consultation and, of course, not always perfect agreement, but a respect for each other's views and a product that can rightfully be called the fruit of our common labor.

Having said that, I do want to oppose this motion to instruct. I don't oppose it in its entirety. It has some positive features, but I want to concentrate in my brief remarks this morning on what leads me to ask for a ``no'' vote. This mainly has to do with some parts of items two and three of this motion.

The motion to instruct would basically prevent us from bringing anyone held in Guantanamo Bay to the United States for the purpose of prosecution. This provision is more restrictive than the House-passed bill, which allowed persons detained at the naval station at Guantanamo Bay to be brought to the U.S. for prosecution.

Accepting a more narrow provision goes against basic American principles, as well as basic American interests. People are to be given due process and access to a fair trial in this country, and it is certainly in this country's interest to bring these people to trial, to dispose of their cases. I must say, this motion also goes against a perfecting amendment that the distinguished ranking member himself voluntarily accepted--in fact, eagerly accepted--in our full committee markup.

So I have to ask, what would have made the other side change its mind all of a sudden? It appears that even when they get ``yes'' for an answer, it's hard to accept ``yes'' for an answer. Without allowing these detainees to come to the United States for prosecution, we're basically saying that our judicial and law enforcement officials are unable to handle these criminals here in the United States, and that our country's core values and interests do not apply in these cases. That's just wrong.

The U.S. has successfully tried dangerous terrorists before--in fact, many times, executing some, putting others behind bars to fade into obscurity. The perpetrators of the 1993 World Trade Center and Murrah Federal Building bombings are perfect examples.

Treating these individuals as though they are so dangerous that we cannot possibly put them on trial or punish them or lock them up and throw away the key, the way we deal with our most savage criminals here in the United States, gives these detainees an exalted status. Why do we want to do that? An exalted status is far from what they deserve.

We can handle this, Madam Speaker. We're up to this challenge, and the last thing we ought to be doing is elevating these Guantanamo prisoners in the eyes of the world. The amendment that was accepted in committee, to permit us to bring these people into the United States for the purpose of prosecution, most certainly should remain.

Finally, Madam Speaker, let me just say a word about the process by which this bill is being brought to the floor. We, of course, want to make certain that Members have ample time to study and understand bills before we vote on them. At the same time, I have to say, this bill has been a long time in the making. There has been a long period of discussion and debate and deliberation, and Members of this body should be assured that a full range of interested parties have been involved in crafting this bill in a bipartisan fashion since we received the budget in May.

Even before receiving the budget, we held 15 days of hearings on a wide variety of topics, including responses to natural disasters, technology and efficiency improvements, immigration enforcement, and border security. We had testimony from DHS as well as GAO and other non-Department sources. So it's a thoroughly vetted bill, and the issues in this bill have been thoroughly examined. They've been given their proper due diligence. There are no surprises, and we are, indeed, ready to go to conference.

With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the distinguished chairman of our full committee, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey).

Madam Speaker, I am still trying to process the notion that we have in our high-security prisons a population that is just waiting to be corrupted.

We are all aware of the kind of people who are in these high-security prisons. They are already corrupted and they are dangerous, and we have proven our capacity to deal with them. I don't think that it behooves this body to cast such doubt on our capacities, the capacities of the judicial and penal systems of this country. We are up to this, Madam Speaker, and yet the motion before us would say that we cannot bring these people into this country for prosecution when it is clearly in our interest to do so. It is in our interest to close Guantanamo within a reasonable period of time and to bring these people before the bar of justice.

I would like to yield 30 seconds to our full committee chairman.

Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Serrano).

(Mr. SERRANO asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers.

Madam Speaker, I reiterate my request to our Members to vote against this motion to recommit. The motion is long and complex and by no means totally objectionable. But we have highlighted here today a feature of the Guantanamo provisions which not only is objectionable, but fundamentally runs counter to our country's interest--our country's interest in closing Guantanamo in a timely fashion and bringing the detainees there to trial.

It also, in a strange way, seems to question our country's capacity, the capacity of our judicial system and our penal system, to handle hardened criminals, whereas I think that our capacity to handle even the most dangerous criminals is beyond question. And I believe this motion also risks elevating these criminals in the eyes of the world, suggesting that we can not handle them through our normal processes of justice. For all these reasons, I believe this motion to instruct is unwise, and I urge a ``no'' vote.

I yield back the balance of my time.