Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Inside Out Academy. The leaders of Inside Out Academy--Samuel and LaKenya Evans, have shown what can be done through hard work, dedication, and a desire to make a difference. This powerful team are both veterans of education and have had a love for education since high school. They tirelessly serve the rural MS Delta through education that is both challenging and fun.

LaKenya Evans is an eighteen-year veteran educator who has lived in the Mississippi Delta her entire life. The first twelve years of her career were spent in the classroom teaching grades spanning from first to twelfth. Having taught several courses, reading and career discovery are two she deems most rewarding for her career because of the immediate joy and benefits to her students. LaKenya has earned both a Bachelor of Science and Master of Education in Elementary Education, as well as an Educational Specialist in Educational Administration and Supervision. She is currently pursuing a doctoral degree from Belhaven University. She is an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Mississippi Professional Educators, National Education Association, and Mississippi Literary Association.

Dr. Samuel C. Evans, Jr. was born and reared in the Mississippi Delta and is a product of Greenville Public School District. After high school, he attended Delta State University in Cleveland, MS, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Education degree. He is a twenty- seven-year veteran in K-12 public education and has given all his years of service to the Mississippi Delta. He is an active member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated, Mississippi Profession of Educators, and National Educators Association.

The mission of Inside Out Academy promotes academic, social, and emotional growth among youths by cultivating knowledge through creativity, cultural awareness, career exploration, college preparation, and character development.

This dynamic duo firmly believes children are the seeds of hope for our tomorrow and believe in the power that they hold and know that they will mold future generations to come. At Inside Out Academy, they are dedicated to give them the support they need to shape them into leaders of the future. They are committed to engaging them in activities that build communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity skills. They seek to develop partnerships with community agencies, organizations, and schools to provide resources for prevention of social issues such as bullying, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, sexual promiscuity, discrimination, economic deprivation, financial illiteracy, and obesity.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Inside Out Academy for their dedication, leadership, advocacy, and creativity in education. Their selfless service to their communities and the Rural MS Delta Region is commended.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Henry Dorsey, an esteemed educator for more than 44 years, who has and continues to dedicate his life to serving the State of Mississippi in numerous roles.

Henry Dorsey was educated in the Franklin County School District in Meadville, Mississippi, where he received a diploma in 1966, finishing in the top ten of his class and a three sports letterman. He continued his education at Alcorn State University, majoring in health and physical education, minoring in science with an emphasis on coaching, receiving his Bachelor of Science in 1970. He continued to Jackson State University, where he received a Master's in Science Education and a Specialist in Administration and Supervision.

Henry Dorsey was an educator for 44 years with 36 of those years in the Hazlehurst City School District, where he served as Teacher, Coach, Principal, Athletic Director, Superintendent and Conservator. He served as a Coach Administrator in the Brookhaven School District, Assistant Principal at Whitten Middle School in Jackson, Mississippi, Assistant Principal at Richland High School in Richland, Mississippi, Principal at Nichols Middle School in Canton, Mississippi, and Director of Education and Training at Mississippi Job Corps in Crystal Springs, Mississippi.

Henry Dorsey is not only known as a trailblazer in education, but also one who will always be recognized in history as the First African American Fireman in the City of Hazlehurst MS in 1978.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Mr. Henry Dorsey, and outstanding Mississippian, for his outstanding service and commitment.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Executive Director and Entrepreneur Dr. Nakisha McCray Watts.

Dr. Nakisha McCray Watts was born to James McCray and Catherine Doyle, and raised in Lambert, MS. Dr. Watts is 36 years old. She is the wife of DeJuan Watts, Jr., and the mother of Harlem Mulan Watts, DeJuan Kingston Watts, and KeJuan Amir Watts.

Dr. Watts graduated in 2005 from Madison S. Palmer High School in Marks, MS. Afterwards, she attended Rust College in Holly Springs, MS, as a Business Management Major. She also became a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. For a few years after graduating from Rust College, she enrolled in graduate school at Mississippi Valley State University in Business Administration and graduated in 2012. She then enrolled into Jackson State University in the Urban Higher Education Ph.D. Program and graduated 2018.

Dr. Watts served as the Mississippi Tobacco Free Coalition Director for Quitman and Tallahatchie Counties from 2010-2012 with Delta Health Alliance. She was named the top Director of Mississippi-by-Mississippi Department of Health in 2011. From there, Dr. Watts was promoted to Program Manager with Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program in 2012-2020. Dr. Watts became the Director of Admissions and Registrar at Coahoma Community College in 2020, where she was challenged to increase enrollment during the peak of the pandemic. She increased enrollment using innovating recruitment tactics such as Tiger Talk, High School Day Tour etc. and used stakeholders in the community to recruit students. Dr. Watts also serve as an adjunct instructor at Mississippi Valley State University and Delta State University. She is also the founder of SHEUplifts, LLC., which is designed to uplift and empower women of all ages by educating, providing resources, and coaching women to push them to their desired level. She has offered entrepreneur workshops, professional development training and women empowerment events such as Millionaire Chic's, conferences, girls youth camps, and brunches.

With a decade of experience, Dr. Watts has been a leader in the non- profit sector with skills of implementing, budgeting, and sustaining programs in the communities. She began her career as a Youth Financial Literacy Mentor with Quitman County Development Organization and has always made community, economic development, and students the focus of her work.

Dr. Watts continues her community initiatives by serving as President of Quitman County Middle School Parent Teacher Organization, Member of Mississippi Tobacco Free Coalition of Quitman and Tallahatchie Counties, Member of Mississippi Tobacco Free Coalition for Coahoma and Tunica Counties, Treasure of Quitman County Economic Tourism and Development Inc., and Social Action Chair of Clarksdale-Marks Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Dr. Nakisha McCray Watts for her dedication to serving this great state and country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the inaugural class of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)'s Intelligence and Cybersecurity Diversity Fellowship (ICDF) Program. The ICDF program, authorized in the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, is targeted at helping DHS cultivate diverse talent to join the ranks of its intelligence and cybersecurity offices and components, including the Office of Intelligence and Analysis and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

The spring class of 2023 includes 15 fellows who represent over 10 States and territories, and universities small and large, including a minority-serving institution. I am proud to recognize these talented, future public servants and am confident that the country will become a better and safer nation because of their contributions.

Congratulations: Christine Atkins, Miriam Canales, Alexander Clark, Reyben Cortes, MacKenzie Finck, Chanel Hinton, Ethan Hwang, Nathan Kuruvilla, Veronika Kyles, Christian Lopez, Mya Miller, Denzel Montes- Melendez, Erin Sullivan, Baine Tanner, and Regina Thomas.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to demand that Republicans fulfill their job and pay America's bills.

House Republicans have rushed out of town knowing that they are essentially forcing a default that will be extremely expensive for families.

We know what comes next: unemployment will double, retirement savings will be lost, and costs for everything from mortgages to vehicle payments will increase.

Extreme MAGA Republicans, though, are still to blame for America's current economic disaster. They have departed town, leaving behind working families.

Democrats have come together to resolve the debt without playing political games. Republicans who identify as ``moderate'' cannot hide. Either they side with Team Extreme, or they join us to end this crisis.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a hard-working and impactful leader, Mr. A'Davion D. Bush. Mr. Bush has shown what can be done through hard work, dedication and a desire to achieve success.

Mr. Bush is a 17-year-old resident of Indianola, Mississippi, and a senior at Gentry High School. Originally, from Kalamazoo, Michigan, he moved to the state of Mississippi in 2016 at the age of 11. Moving to Mississippi, he found it to be one of the best decisions he's made in his life and is the most important decision he's made. Living in rural Mississippi, he found that his calling was to serve people, stand up for people, speak for those who can't speak up for themselves, and stand in the gap for people.

Today, in his community, he's a community advocate, public servant, and companion. Continuing, he's the founder of the Sunflower County NAACP youth chapter along with a friend, he serves as a legislative assistant to a Mississippi State Representative, and most importantly, he's a teen influencer for Teen Health Mississippi, which is an organization that allows him to advocate for high-quality sex education for all schools across Mississippi right in the Mississippi Capitol. He serves on the Mississippi State Superintendent of School Student Council, which allows him to represent Gentry High school to the fullest and it's something he cherishes all the time.

To conclude some of the work he does, he's the founder of Project Chance, which is a project that helps improve the quality of justice- involved youth mental health by finding ways they can combat them. Project Chance's mission is dedicated to an initiative that will give attention and proper treatment to juveniles facing mental health challenges. Project Chance will promote and assist individuals in developing skills that will greatly enhance their mindset, behavior, character, and vision of themselves and others. Project Chance will promote productivity, professionalism, and so much more that will greatly benefit today's communities.

After high-school, he plans to attend The University of Mississippi, in Oxford, Mississippi. With confidence, he will further his education in the studies of political science or public policy, which will allow him to enter an accredited program that will allow him to get his juris doctorate in 6 years. Upon graduating college, he plans to move back to the Mississippi Delta or the metropolitan area of Mississippi to serve impoverished communities and provide equal access to legal representation and do so much other work to better all the lives around him. While practicing law, he wants to run for political offices starting at the municipal or county level, moving to the state level, whether that be in the state legislature or state executive office, such as being governor of Mississippi, then potentially U.S. Congress, and concluding with the Presidency of the United States.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Mr. A'Davion D. Bush for his passion, dedication, and tenacity to serving his community and desire to be an example for all.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. Hickman Morgan Johnson. Dr. Johnson has shown what can be done through hard work, dedication, and the desire to help people in need.

Dr. Johnson is a Tennessee native and a graduate of Tennessee State University, where he received his bachelor's degree in chemistry in 1964; and, in 1967 graduated from the Morehouse School of Religion-ITC with a Master of Divinity. He was the first African American to graduate from Mississippi College, receiving the Master of Arts in Religion in 1970, and Doctor of Ministry from Emory University in 1989.

Dr. Johnson accepted the pastorate at Farish Street in August 1968 and has faithfully served there for 54 years. Dr. Johnson has been deeply involved in the housing arena, providing safe and affordable housing for those in need. Last October, a ribbon cutting ceremony happened for Hickman Heights in Jackson, which is named after Dr. Johnson. Hickman Heights is a four story building with 100 rental units, developed with tax-exempt bonds using public and private financing.

Dr. Johnson has been the executive director of Mississippi Regional Housing Authority VI, since 2004. He continues to deliver the needs of constituents around the state of Mississippi. Over the years, he has worn many titles: Chaplain, Director, Dean, Executive Director, Chairman, Moderator, Corresponding Secretary, and Commissioner, but the one he reveres most is Pastor. Dr. Johnson is married to Mrs. Gladys Marie Thomas Johnson, and they have 5 beautiful daughters. Dr. Johnson has been a great asset to his community, and his work never goes unnoticed.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Dr. Hickman Morgan Johnson for his hard work in caring for the constituents in the State of Mississippi.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the first Jackson State University student to receive the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation Award, Miss Maisie Brown of Jackson, Mississippi.

For Maisie Brown, activism started with an eight-grade Algebra assignment. Her class was asked to redesign the Mississippi state flag. That made Brown ask, ``Why are we designing a new flag? What's wrong with the old one?''

At the time, the Mississippi state flag featured a Confederate flag as part of its design, and the more Maisie thought about it, the more concerned she became about the message it was sending. ``Flying [the flag] over our state buildings and over schools' little Black children are walking into . . . It was racist, and I found it really disrespectful for the Blackest state in the nation.''

She is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science with a special research interest in how education and environmental policies affect southern black and brown communities. Since her teen years, she has been involved in removing Confederate memorabilia, coordinating clean drinking water to Jackson households, and ensuring incarcerated women have access to feminine hygiene products. As the ACLU of Mississippi's Advocacy Coordinator, she has prioritized engaging young people and created the organization's first-ever Leaders in Action training program. Maisie has contributed to media outlets such as CNN, MSNBC, and Essence, among others, to raise awareness of critical issues, especially the Jackson, MS water crisis. She plans to pursue a PhD in public policy and administration with a concentration in educational policy to ameliorate conditions she faced as a public- school student and expand community

resources. She is the proud mother of one year-old, D'Mari and enjoys reading, watching movies, and spending time with family.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing, Miss Maisie Brown for her dedication to improve equality within her city as well as her state.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a tenacious and self-motivated leader, the late Tennie Sudduth Self. Tennie has been a champion of service and dedication to Coahoma County.

Tennie Sudduth was born to Sam and Essie Rush Sudduth on March 10, 1926, in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, and was educated in the racially segregated public school system of Oktibbeha County. She married David Cornelius Self and to this union 5 children were born: Audrey Wilburn, Olenza Elaine, Howrhu Marcus, David Cornelius, and Juan Ray.

Tennie had a passion for cooking and providing nourishment the masses. She was especially known for her homemade rolls. She worked many years at Coahoma Junior College and Agricultural High School as the college dining hall manager and the high school cafeteria manager. Breaking racial barriers even in the 1960s, she became the first black dietary manager at Coahoma County Hospital.

Tennie was a life member of the NAACP and an active behind-the-scenes participant in the Clarksdale/Coahoma County civil rights movement from the mid 1950s until well into the 2000s. She was also a member of The Versatile Club and The American Legion. She was a dedicated member of First Baptist Church, serving in its choir and as The Missionary Society's President for many years. She was completely in charge of the church's kitchen. She was a compassionate community team player who cared deeply for the youth and the improvement of Clarksdale even to the point of transporting and feeding underprivileged children out of her own purse--seeking nether credit nor recognition. In 2015, she was featured in ``Southern Living'' magazine and, that same year, the publication of ``DELTA JEWELS--In Search of My Grandmother's Wisdom'' by Center Street Publishing.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the late Tennie Sudduth Self for her strength, dedication, compassion and advocacy in her community. Her selfless service to her community, Rural MS Delta Region and the State of Mississippi are commended.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Tommiea Jackson.

Tommiea Jackson, APR was born to Tommie and Josephine Lipsey Jackson of Marks, Mississ}pi, in June of 1977. She is the oldest of 3 children. She is the owner of Crimson Magnolia LLC, a small business providing public relations and photography services with a particular interest in nonprofits, small businesses and families in the Mississippi Delta. Jackson is also the communication manager with the Nashville-based nonprofit Tennessee Charter School Center.

Jackson enjoyed growing up in Marks, Jackson is known for her inquisitive nature, resourcefulness, and efforts to keep family and friends connected.

Jackson attended Quitman County Schools through ninth grade before attending Clarksdale High School, and later graduating from South Panola High School. At Rust College, Jackson served as editor of the college newspaper and became a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Jackson holds a bachelor's degree in English with a minor in Print Journalism from Rust and a master's degree in Journalism from the University of Mississippi.

Jackson's first job after graduate school was with the Quitman County Development Organization and Youth Opportunities Unlimited. During this time, she learned the importance of nonprofit organizations and how impactful they can be to the lives of the people they serve.

Jackson, a former Clarksdale Press Register and Monroe (La.) News Star reporter, has spent most of her career as a public relations practitioner at institutions of higher learning. In 2018, Jackson earned accreditation in public relations (APR). Earning the APR reflects a mastery of the knowledge, skills and abilities needed to succeed in the increasingly complex PR profession.

In Orlando, Jackson served as accreditation co-chair of the Florida Public Relations Association Orlando chapter, vice president for the University of Central Florida's Black Faculty and Staff Association and co-chair of the Orlando Metro Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta's Delta GEMS program for high school girls. Though her time in Orlando was rewarding, Jackson longed to return home to do the work she loved for the people she loved most

in the Quitman County community and the Mississippi Delta. Recently, Jackson, along with her sister Tamara, hosted the Crimson Magnolia Kids Cook Camp at the local Mississippi State Extension Service office. The camp's purpose was to teach 9-to 12-year-old children essential life skills and introduce them to the exciting world of food through hands- on cooking classes and food-related careers. Returning home and to her experiences in nonprofits, Jackson hopes to continue serving as a resource, connector and servant for Mississippi.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Tommiea Jackon for her dedication to serving her commumty and this great state.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a remarkable elected official, Judge LaRita Cooper-Stokes. LaRita Cooper- Stokes is a child of God, and she gives thanks and praises to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Judge Stokes was serving her third term as County Court Judge for Hinds County. She was sworn in on January 5, 2015. She was blessed to become the first African American woman to serve the citizens of Hinds County on the bench in the County Court. She has served two terms as Senior County Court Judge.

Judge Stokes was formerly elected as City Councilwoman of Ward 3, in Jackson, Mississippi, in 2012. At the same time, her husband was elected to serve as a member of the Hinds County Board of Supervisors.

Judge Stokes has been a licensed attorney for over thirty years. She was a graduate of the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University in Houston; Jackson State University; and Lanier High School. She was reared by loving parents, Mr. and Mrs. Roy and Lucy Cooper, along with four siblings. She was a member of New Hope Baptist Church. She was married to Jackson's City Councilman, Kenneth I. Stokes, and was a mother and grandmother. She was humbled by being elected a public servant, and she was thankful for the opportunity to serve the citizens of Hinds County.

Judge Stokes gained her eternal wings and went to be with God in the early hours of Monday, May 8, 2023, at a Jackson hospital, due to complications with her respiratory system. She would have celebrated her 65th birthday May 27.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Judge LaRita Cooper-Stokes for her dedication to politics, her city, and her community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a remarkable servant, Andrea S. Lee.

Andrea is a native of Grenada, MS, and is the President and Founder of The Diamond Project, Inc. She attended undergraduate school at The University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Psychology. She earned her Master of Business Administration from The University of Maryland. Andrea works on Capitol Hill for the United States Congress as the Director of Operations for the House Committee on Homeland Security.

Andrea is the owner of Showoff Cosmetics, an inspirational beauty brand that encourages individuals to step into their dreams. Within

two months of its launch, Showoff Cosmetics was displayed on a billboard in New York City's Time Square in December 2021.

Andrea is also owner of Talented Touches by Andrea, where she does event planning/design, cake decorating, sweet treats, gift wrapping and baskets. With over 19 years of experience, Talented Touches by Andrea has provided services for numerous clients, including The Recording Academy (Grammys) and Bravo TV's The Real Housewives of Atlanta. Andrea has served as a volunteer at the 57th Presidential Inauguration of President Barack Obama, worked on the event teams at the 2012 National Democratic Convention and the 2016 Democratic Presidential Debate.

Andrea realized her passion for community service in 2012 after starting an annual holiday tradition of adopting families and/or nursing homes in her hometown of Grenada, along with the women in her family, The LoveLee Ladies. In 2014, she became the co-coordinator of a group of female volunteers on Capitol Hill who planned, prepared, and served monthly dinners at a local women's shelter in Washington, D.C. Andrea is a firm believer that ``God blesses us so that we can bless others.'' Therefore, she uses her leadership skills and creative abilities to give back to the community. Andrea is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Ms. Andrea S. Lee for her dedication and tenacity to serving her community and desire to be an example for all.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to the closed rule and the underlying bill.

H.R. 2, the child deportation act, was developed in an extreme MAGA echo chamber. Homeland Security Committee Republicans defeated all 43 amendments offered by Democrats to fix the bill's many flaws.

This closed rule goes a step further and blocks House consideration of amendments like the one I filed adding 1,700 CBP officers at ports of entry to process migrants, facilitate trade and tourism, and interdict fentanyl.

More than 90 percent--as you have already heard--of hard drugs are interdicted at ports of entry--this is information passed to us by CBP--but Republicans refuse to make investments in the many ports of entry workforce or technology.

Worse yet, the bill does nothing to address cartels and fentanyl trafficking.

The rule doubles down on Donald Trump's border wall by blocking consideration of an amendment filed by Representative Troy Carter to protect landowners from eminent domain.

With new border wall segments likely to cost about $46 million per mile, building 900 miles of wall could total billions.

Finally, this closed ruled blocks consideration of Representative Robert Garcia's amendment to strike language that villainizes community and religious organizations which provide basic necessities to migrants.

H.R. 2 is written so poorly that it could force the American Red Cross to verify each person's immigration status before offering help. Can you imagine if groups have to say, ``Show us your papers''? That is just cruel.

I urge a ``no'' vote on the rule and the underlying bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to the child deportation act. This cruel, inhumane, and unworkable bill was written in an extreme MAGA Republican echo chamber.

Considering H.R. 2 today under a closed rule is a cynical move on the part of Republicans to exploit the operational challenges associated with the lifting of title 42 public health restrictions.

Republicans have a short memory. Just in February, they voted to lift title 42 when they voted to lift the COVID-19 health emergency. It sets Customs and Border Protection up for failure by shifting all processing to ports of entry without providing any additional resources.

To make matters worse, it would bar CBP from leveraging technology to process migrants in an orderly way. H.R. 2 doesn't fund a single new officer at our ports of entry, where more than 90 percent of fentanyl is interdicted.

In committee, we tried to get an additional 1,700 officers to build greater capacity, but Republicans refused to do it.

Furthermore, this xenophobic bill would strip DHS funding from any community or religious organization that helps migrants. The language is so broad that an organization that places water in a remote area of the desert or provides a pregnant mother with a safe place to sleep would be ineligible for DHS funding. It is so broad that they may be refused homeland security grants to help protect their facilities.

Denying assistance to nonprofits is just plain shameful, particularly after what we saw in Brownsville this past weekend. There is reporting that a man who rammed his SUV into a crowd outside a migrant shelter, killing 8 and injuring at least 10 others, was fueled by invasion and alien rhetoric. My heart goes out to everyone hurt by this senseless act of violence.

The language in this bill is so far-reaching that it would force the American Red Cross to verify every person's immigration status before providing lifesaving services. Can you imagine if they had to say, ``Show your papers,'' before evacuating people? That is just inhumane.

Get this: H.R. 2 is so broadly written that it would actually impede detention and deportation.

Mr. Speaker, FOX News viewers who support deporting migrants should take a look at section 115(c) in division A. If enacted, it would prohibit DHS from contracting with any nongovernmental organization to transport or shelter ``inadmissible aliens.''

This language would prevent ICE from contracting with private companies to facilitate deportation or provide detention space because these companies are nongovernmental organizations. Yes, you heard that right. This bill is so poorly written that it could actually prevent ICE from deporting people.

Over the next 2 hours, Democrats will discuss many other problematic provisions of this extreme MAGA bill that Republicans cobbled together and that we learned yesterday would blow a $6.1 billion hole in the budget.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this child deportation act, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, the extreme MAGA Republican default on America act, which the last speaker voted for, would result in an across-the-board cut of 22 percent for the Department of Homeland Security, which would undermine border security.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Texas.

Mr. Speaker, Republicans want it both ways. First, they vote to reduce the number of Border Patrol agents in the field by 1,400 under their default in America act, and now all of a sudden, they want to do something different. So either you are for it or you are against it, but you can't have it both ways.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne).

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from New Jersey.

Mr. Speaker, the Congressional Budget Office says the child deportation act would ``decrease the population of the United States by about 600,000 people, mostly by reducing the number of unaccompanied children present in the country.''

Republicans claim to be concerned about exploitation and abuse of unaccompanied children, but their answer is

to slam the door shut and deport them from the United States.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Goldman).

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentleman from New York.

Mr. Speaker, on March 15, Border Patrol Chief Ortiz told the Homeland Security Committee that ``cartels control an awful lot of the southern border south of the United States.''

Last time I checked, south of the United States meant Mexico and not five of the nine U.S. Border Patrol sectors.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Menendez).

Mr. Speaker, at some point you have to correct the Record. We had a debt ceiling budget vote several weeks ago. The Republican-approved debt ceiling budget would cut the DHS budget by 22 percent.

So you can't be for something, but you don't invest in what you say you are for.

I will step back a little further and say that if Republicans are really serious about border security, then they would have joined Democrats in passing last year's government funding bill. It provided more than $17 billion to Customs and Border Protection alone and a 17 percent increase in the Border Patrol budget, but unfortunately, Speaker McCarthy voted against that, too.

Democrats have been to the border. In April of this year, I took nine Members to the border. We talked to a lot of people. I have been on the committee quite a while. I have gone to the border a number of times to see, so one visit I didn't go to is not the end of the world. I was on the border before the Speaker was in Congress, so there is history here that we just need to make sure that we all understand.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Correa).

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentleman from California.

Mr. Speaker, the extreme MAGA Republican default on America act, which the last Speaker voted for, would result in CBP not being able to seize nearly 900 pounds of fentanyl because of the draconian cuts to its budget.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Robert Garcia).

Mr. Speaker, on February 1, the last speaker voted against the public health emergency that served as the legal basis for the use of title 42 at the southwest border.

My colleagues want to have it both ways, which is why, I guess, he supports H.R. 2, the child deportation act.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Grijalva), the ranking member of the Natural Resources Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentleman from Arizona.

Mr. Speaker, if Republicans were serious about border security, they would have joined Democrats in passing last year's government funding bill, which paid for an increase of 300 Border Patrol agents, the first increase since the Obama administration.

Not only did the last speaker not support it, she voted to have 1,400 Border Patrol agents fewer in the field under the extreme MAGA Republican default on America act.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Thanedar).

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2 squeezes Customs and Border Patrol officers working at ports of entry by failing to provide resources to cover the increased workload that will result from the bill.

If Republicans were serious about border security, they would have joined Democrats in passing last year's government funding bill, which appropriated $60 million to hire an additional 125 CBP officers.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Clarke).

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentlewoman from New York.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2 does nothing to combat illicit narcotics like fentanyl. If Republicans were serious about border security, they would have joined Democrats in passing last year's government funding bill, which provided $70 million for intrusive inspection technology at ports of entry where most dangerous drugs are interdicted.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. Salinas).

Mr. Speaker, while the imposition of a nationwide E-Verify on all businesses found in this bill is not part of the Homeland Security division, it still affects me as a Member of Congress from a rural part of the country.

I cannot overstate how damaging this language is to the agriculture labor in my district. Many of my rural Republican colleagues know this, too. To put it bluntly, if enacted, this bill will force American farmers to go out of business.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record letters of opposition against the child deportation act from the AFL-CIO; SEIU, Service Employees International Union; and the Agriculture Workforce Coalition.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Sorensen).

Mr. Speaker, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that the child deportation act provision requiring DHS to negotiate with El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras to return unaccompanied children will result in 550,000 children being deported back to the violence they fled from over a 10-year period.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2 is an anti-immigrant and un-Christian bill, just as legislation previously introduced by Representative Roy was. That is why nearly 150 community and religious groups oppose it.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record letters in opposition from 136 community and religious groups, including Bethany Christian Services, Catholic Charities, and Union for Reform Judaism, Sojourners, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and the Jesuit Conference.

May 8, 2023.

House of Representatives,

Washington, DC.

Vote Recommendation Opposing H.R. 2 Secure the Border Act of 2023

Dear Representative: The undersigned state, local, and

national immigration, civil rights, public health, education,

religious, labor, climate justice, and other organizations

write to respectfully request that you VOTE NO on H.R. 2, the

Secure the Border Act of 2023, set to receive a vote on the

House floor on May 11. The bill would dismantle the asylum

system and cause immeasurable harm to immigrant communities.

The newly elected majority is driving an intentionally

divisive agenda to amplify anti-immigrant animus without

moral and effective policy solutions. We ask you to oppose

this anti-immigrant bill that would:

1. Deport Unaccompanied Children. The bill would end Health

& Human Services funding for legal representation of

unaccompanied children in immigration proceedings, depriving

children of the attorneys their safety depends upon. It would

also provide only a cursory screening process for children at

the border, risking children's summary return to human

trafficking and other dangers. The bill subjects all

unaccompanied children to an accelerated removal process

worse than what currently exists, and allows for detention of

unaccompanied children in jail-like border facilities for up

to 30 days--ten times longer than permitted under current

law.

2. End Asylum. The bill would effectively shut down our

current asylum system by adding dozens of new restrictions on

asylum, including eliminating the right to seek asylum for

those who cross the border between ports of entry and barring

asylum for those who transit through a third country. It

would make it nearly impossible for migrants to seek asylum

in the U.S. and significantly easier to deport asylum

seekers, including families and children, into harm's way.

This will only sow chaos at the border, rather than

ameliorating it.

3. Restart `Remain in Mexico'. The bill would restart the

failed and dangerous Remain in Mexico program for all

migrants, including unaccompanied children who were

previously exempted under the Trump administration. Seeking

to unilaterally return asylum seekers to other countries

without consulting the receiving country nor the migrant

results in refoulement of the migrant to danger and

problematic foreign policy implications.

4. Jail Immigrant Families. The bill would require family

detention for any families attempting to enter the U.S. to

seek asylum, as well as any families who previously entered

the U.S. without visas. Like all immigration detention,

family detention centers have a well-documented history of

abusive conditions, including inadequate medical care and

mental health deterioration for asylum seekers, survivors of

trauma, and children.

5. Mandate E-Verify. The bill would require E-Verify for

all employers in the U.S., severely damaging our economy,

harming American workers, and resulting in billions of

dollars in lost government revenue. National implementation

of E-Verify raises concerns about efficiency, due process,

and racial profiling and decreased employment among Latinos.

6. Gut Programs that Work: The bill would strip funding for

the Alternative To Detention Case Management Pilot Program,

Office of Immigration Detention Ombudsman, and the vital

Shelter and Services Program, which has helped communities

around the country receive reimbursement for costs related to

humanitarian responses to migration. These programs have been

effective at providing services crucial to preventing more

deaths under CBP custody and immigrant detention and have

reduced impacts on receiving communities.

7. Burden our Local Communities by Making it Impossible for

Employers to Hire Asylum Seekers with Work Authorization.

This bill eliminates work authorization for asylum seekers

who cross between ports of entry and requires six month

renewal periods for asylum-based employment authorization.

Combined with USCIS processing time, this would effectively

make it impossible for businesses, even in the face oflabor

shortages, to employ asylum seekers. These provisions will

exponentially increase the backlogs at users and make it even

more difficult for USCIS to timely process applications. This

runs counter to bipartisan efforts to improve the employment

authorization process for asylum seekers and will create an

unnecessary burden on local communities.

8. Undermine Essential Partnerships with Humanitarian

Organizations. The bill would bar any and all DHS funding for

NGOs, including faith-based NGOs, that provide shelter,

transportation, food or legal assistance to vulnerable

immigrants, including those who arrive on a visa and later

become ``inadmissible.'' Congress should be investing more in

non-profit organizations providing respite care, legal

service providers, trauma-informed care and community-based

service providers, not subjecting them to the punitive

measures in this legislation. This measure would impact NGOs

across the country that receive DHS funding, including

organizations working with FEMA during an emergency-it's

``show me your papers'' for the Red Cross.

9. Resume Building Trump's Border Wall. The bill would

restart the construction of the border wall, a harmful waste

of taxpayer resources. It would allow DHS to exempt all

border infrastructure construction, development, operation,

and maintenance from any law except the Constitution, thereby

reducing the rule of law at our borders. The bill would also

restrict the ability for landowners, local communities and

tribes to assert legal challenges opposing the construction

of the wall, and thus pave the way for irreparable and

unchecked harms to the borderlands. We have already seen the

negative consequences from the Trump Administration era

resulting in: bulldozed Native American burial sites;

dynamited pristine mountain wilderness; segments of the wall

being constructed in flood plains; and the unjust seizing of

private ranches and farmlands.

10. Eliminate Parole Authority. The bill would decimate the

parole power that presidents historically have used to parole

individuals in response to humanitarian emergencies or in

furtherance of foreign policy objectives. It also precludes

the President's recent parole programs for Ukrainians,

Afghans, Cubans, Haitians, Nicaragruans, and Venezuelans, and

cuts work authorization for parolees.

11. Jail Any Person who Overstays a Visa. The bill would

jail and penalize immigrants who have violated any condition

of their visa or overstayed by 10 days or more, even for

violations that occur due to circumstances beyond the

individuals' control such as a medical emergency. This

provision would even make it a crime for anyone on a visa to

apply for asylum, given they would not have

left once their visa expired. Congress should focus on

solutions that regularize the status of long-term residents

and fix our broken immigration system.

12. Balloon Border Agents. The bill would require Border

Patrol to hire enough agents to reach 22,000 on board

(currently there are roughly 19,500) and restrict Border

Patrol agents from performing ``duties of processing

coordinators.'' Processing coordinators currently perform

duties such as transporting and processing migrants and

carrying out mandatory welfare checks. With only around 1,000

processing coordinators currently in the field, this

restriction would seriously hinder Border Patrol's efforts to

fairly and efficiently process asylum seekers and carry out

their law enforcement mission. CBP is overfunded with funding

streams that push resources towards enforcement and wasteful

surveillance, while humanitarian needs go underfunded.

We urge you to vote in ways that protect immigrants and

VOTE NO against H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act of 2023 in

the upcoming floor vote. We must oppose racist, xenophobic,

unconstructive proposals that add fuel to hate and present no

constructive and moral solutions. Thank you for your time and

attention.

Sincerely,

National Organizations:

#WelcomeWithDignity Campaign, African Communities Together,

Alianza Americas, America's Voice, American Civil Liberties

Union, American Federation of Teachers, American Immigration

Council, American Immigration Lawyers Association, American

Psychological Association, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination

Committee (ADC), Asian Americans Advancing Justice

AAJC, Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence,

Mr. Speaker, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that the bill would ``affect the legal status of about 4.4 million people who would be granted parole or asylum under current law.''

Parolees fleeing war in Ukraine and the Taliban in Afghanistan, as well as those from Haiti and other failed countries in this hemisphere would be required to leave the United States, and CBO anticipates that ``half would reside unlawfully in the United States.''

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, Republicans claim that the Biden administration's policies have led to open borders, but nothing could be further from the truth.

President Biden has, with little help from Congress, worked to dissuade migrants from taking the dangerous journey northward. The Biden administration is surging resources to the border. Even as it ramps down title 42 removals, it is using title 8 authorities to promptly remove and bar reentry from certain crossers.

At the same time, the Biden administration is working to make the asylum process more orderly through the CBP One app.

It has also stood up a parole process for certain Venezuelan, Nicaraguan, Cuban, and Haitian migrants that in March were credited with a drop of 72 percent in the 7-day average from a high of 1,231 in January.

H.R. 2 would take those tools away from DHS.

Mr. Speaker, in the unlikely event that this cruel, extreme, and unworkable bill makes it to the President's desk, he has promised to veto it.

To quote the Statement of Administration Policy: ``H.R. 2 does nothing to address the root causes of migration, reduces humanitarian protections, and restricts unlawful pathways, which are critical alternatives to unlawful entry.'' It goes on to say: ``This bill would make things worse, not better.''

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the administration's statement.

Statement of Administration Policy

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, it is remarkable that Republicans are getting behind the child deportation act, a bill that would blow a $6.1 billion hole in our Federal budget at the same time that they are feigning concern about the Federal deficit.

Today, the other side has said a lot about how the Biden administration is

handling the ending of title 42, but remarkably, not one of them acknowledged that they voted to lift it in February.

Enactment of H.R. 2 would do nothing to keep fentanyl out of our communities or protect unaccompanied children.

Just for the record, in our section of the bill, fentanyl is not even mentioned. I would hope at some point the other two discussions tomorrow might talk a little more directly about fentanyl if it is in there. It is not in our section at this point.

For the record, the information that we have about 90 percent of the fentanyl coming into the country comes from the Chief of the Border Patrol. It is his information. We can only take him at his word.

Those five ports of entry that the chair talked about, that was not what he said. He said it was in Mexico, not in the U.S., in terms of being controlled by the cartels. I think we all will admit the cartels do not control the border within the boundaries of the United States. It is a play on words, but at least we can be accurate with that.

In terms of how we determine who comes, who is captured, and how the fentanyl is collected, I suggest that you talk to the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, or DEA. They are the persons who interview the people who are caught at our ports of entry.

More importantly, most of the people who we catch at our ports of entry are American citizens. They are not, for the most part, immigrants or aliens, or whatever you want to call them, trying to come into this country illegally. They are American citizens.

In terms of guns, the cartels are a violent operation. There is no question about it. We need to do everything that we can to stop them. We can't keep American guns from going to Mexico unless we come up with an enhanced policy to do that.

We have to acknowledge that the majority of the guns that the cartels are using are coming from the United States. As the record will reflect, there is only one gun store in the entire country of Mexico. It takes months for an individual to even get cleared to buy a gun. We just want the record to reflect the truth.

Enactment of H.R. 2, as I said, would do nothing to keep fentanyl out of our communities or protect unaccompanied children. What it will do is penalize communities and religious organizations that care for vulnerable people.

Section 115(b) is so broad that a nonprofit hospital that admits an undocumented migrant would be deemed as facilitating unlawful activities. Cartels and smugglers are champing at the bit to see this bill enacted into law.

H.R. 2 would create conditions where desperate people will be left with few options but to try to enter the U.S. illegally between ports of entry. It would be a boon for smugglers' illicit business.

We should be coming together to enact sensible border and immigration policies that support our communities and economy. We can do better than the child deportation act.

Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``no'' vote on this extreme MAGA bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Faron K. Paramore, Deputy Director of the United States Secret Service, on the occasion of his retirement from Federal service. Over the course of his thirty-four-year career with the Secret Service, Mr. Paramore distinguished himself as a strategic leader and dedicated public servant. From the start of his career as a Special Agent at the Detroit Field Office/Grand Rapids Resident Office in Michigan to his role as Deputy Director, Mr. Paramore helped keep the United States safe from threats to our national security and to our nation's leaders.

As Ranking Member and past Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, I had the pleasure of working closely with Mr. Paramore for a number of years, and I came to appreciate his forthrightness and commitment to ensuring the Secret Service reflects the diversity of our great nation. During the course of his service, Mr. Paramore worked diligently to help modernize the Secret Service Uniformed Division, ensure Secret Service employees are paid fairly, and improve recruitment of Special Agents and Uniformed Division Officers.

Mr. Paramore's dedication to the Secret Service and its workforce will be sorely missed. Throughout his career, Mr. Paramore worked with Congress to pass laws that strengthen the Secret Service and homeland security, including the Fraud Recovery Act of 2009, Overtime Pay for Protective Services Act of 2016, and National Computer Forensics Institute Reauthorization Act of 2022. Moreover, Mr. Paramore served as Acting Director of the Secret Service during a transition period in 2022, and, at the time of his retirement, Mr. Paramore was the highest ranking African American leader in the Secret Service.

I am proud to have worked with Mr. Paramore during his tenure at the Secret Service. I rise to honor his service and wish him well.