Kerrie Orozco First Responders Family Support Act

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6580, the ``Kerrie Orozco First Responders Family Support Act,'' which amends the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 to provide for expedited naturalization processes for the alien spouses of first responders who die because of their employment.

This act is named for Kerrie Orozco who died in the line of duty in May 2015, just a few weeks after giving birth to a premature infant.

Officer Kerrie Orozco was a seven-year veteran of the Omaha Police Department and a new mother.

As a member of the Metro Area Fugitive Task Force, she was conducting surveillance just before 1 p.m. that Wednesday, May 20, 2015, when the suspect being pursued fired at officers after being spotted.

She is remembered not only for her police work but also for her extensive involvement in community service.

She was active in coaching baseball and had been coaching since 2009 at the North Omaha Boys and Girls Club.

She volunteered with Special Olympics and was president of the Police Officer Ball to benefit Special Olympics in Nebraska.

Kerrie was a Girl Scout Leader, participated with Shop with a Cop, and assisted with the Latino Police Officers Easter Egg Hunt.

Shop With A Cop is an annual event where 50 children from the Open Door Mission shop for their families and for themselves with an officer at a few local Walmart stores in Omaha.

When she went to work on May 20, 2015, she did not know that she would not be returning home that night.

Her husband is still waiting for his U.S. Citizenship while he deals with the heartbreak of his wife's death.

For most immigrants, becoming a United States' citizen is the culmination of many years of hard work.

Being a citizen offers new opportunity to have a greater say and a stronger voice in determining our country's future.

There is room in our country for law-abiding individuals from all over the world to come and be a part of the goodness and greatness that the United States of America has to offer.

Our first responders put their lives on the line every time they enter the line of duty.

As the senior member of the House Committees on Judiciary and Homeland Security and Ranking Member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and Investigations, I am humbled to call first responders my friends and also my protectors.

I am committed to working tirelessly to assure that they have full support of Congress in getting the resources and training they need to protect our communities but also to ensure the welfare of their families.

This legislation provides the same courtesy that is given to the families of men and women in uniform who are killed.

The burden on families that have lost a family member is cumbersome enough on its own.

By enacting this legislation, we can provide an uplifting moment in their period of grief and sorrow for this generation of spouses and hopefully ameliorating the situation of future spouses in similar circumstances.

For these reasons, I urge my colleagues to stand with me in the support of H.R. 6580.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6580) to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide for expedited naturalization processes for the alien spouses of first responders who die as a result of their employment, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on H.R. 6580, currently under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bacon), my home State.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6580, the Kerrie Orozco First Responders Family Support Act. This legislation is short, but it will have an immense impact on the lives of close family members of certain first responders who die as a result of injury and illness occurring in the line of duty.

The Immigration and Nationality Act currently requires that, in order to naturalize and become a United States citizen, a lawful permanent resident must reside continuously in the United States for 5 years prior to naturalization. For spouses, that residency requirement is 3 years. H.R. 6580 waives that residency requirement altogether for the surviving spouse, child, or parent of a Federal, State, or local first responder who dies as a result of injury or illness incurred during line of duty activities as a first responder.

There is precedent in immigration law for such a waiver. In fact, the language of H.R. 6580 is patterned on the current law, which waives the same residency requirements for the surviving spouse, child, or parent of a military servicemember killed while in Active-Duty service in the Armed Forces.

First responders routinely place their lives in peril to help those of us who are in need, and when they are killed or injured carrying out their duties, we owe their families a deep debt of gratitude. H.R. 6580 is a small price to pay in return for the sacrifice that first responders make every day.

The legislation was named after Kerrie Orozco, an Omaha, Nebraska, police officer, killed while serving an arrest warrant on May 20, 2015. At the time of Officer Orozco's death, her husband was in the process of becoming a U.S. citizen. H.R. 6580 will speed up that process and make sure other surviving immediate relatives in the same situation are afforded the same opportunity.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the work of the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bacon) on this important piece of legislation.

I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

I rise today in support of H.R. 6580, the Kerrie Orozco First Responders Family Support Act.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the sponsor for introducing this bill.

The bill, as is made clear by its title, is a tribute to Ms. Orozco, a police officer in Omaha, Nebraska.

On May 20, 2015, after 7 years of service in the Omaha Police Department, Kerrie was fatally shot in the line of duty while serving a felony arrest warrant.

She was survived by her husband, Hector Orozco, and her two stepchildren, Natalie and Santiago.

H.R. 6580 gives tribute to the sacrifice made by Kerrie and her family by recognizing the sacrifices made by all first responders who are killed in the line of duty as well as their surviving family members.

The bill honors their sacrifice by speeding up the citizenship process for the surviving immigrant's spouses, children, and parents of slain first responders.

Specifically, the bill would waive certain physical resident requirements for surviving immediate family members who are already on the road to becoming citizens.

Current law requires such individuals to reside in the United States as lawful permanent residents for 5 years before becoming eligible to apply for naturalization. This bill would waive that 5-year requirement and, thus, allow surviving family members to naturalize more quickly. It is modeled on the Military Personnel Citizenship Processing Act, which became law in 2008 after receiving unanimous support in both Houses of Congress. That bill provides similar benefits to the surviving immigrant family members of U.S. armed services members who were killed in action.

H.R. 6580 simply recognizes that domestic first responders also serve this country at great sacrifice both to themselves and their families. This bill is the least we can do to recognize their service and their sacrifice.

I congratulate Representative Bacon for introducing this bill and ensuring its vote on the floor. Mr. Speaker, I also want to thank Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte and Ranking Member Jerry Nadler for their support of this important piece of legislation.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Rutherford), our distinguished representative from Florida, my good friend, for yielding some time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to support H.R. 6580, the Kerrie Orozco First Responders Act.

This legislation, named after a fallen Omaha police officer, Kerrie Orozco, is a first responders bill that will give our heroes peace of mind every day when they leave their home for work to keep us safe. This legislation is simple, common sense, and compassionate.

Under current law, the surviving family members of first responders who have pending immigration applications face delays in the naturalization process. This could weigh heavily on our

first responders because of the undue burden upon them as they protect our communities.

Should they be killed, would their family members who are not U.S. citizens lose their ability to remain in the country?

This legislation would allow the immediate relatives of first responders who die in the line of duty to continue to process their immigration application in a timely manner despite the death of their loved one.

We owe it to our first responders to ensure their family is taken care of should they pay the ultimate sacrifice of keeping our citizens safe. Supporting this bill will protect those who protect us and it will give them peace of mind.

This legislation will extend the same privileges to our first responders that are currently afforded to our military servicemembers. This bill honors our first responders, it values family.

This bill is for Hector Orozco and all of the widows and widowers of our fallen first responders. This bill tells our law enforcement officers, our firefighters that we have your back.

Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of H.R. 6580.