Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Private First Class Jose Casanova Jr., United States Army 82nd Airborne Division. This young man, from my hometown of El Monte, was a communications specialist who served his country with courage, pride and loyalty. On October 13, 2003, Private Jose Casanova Jr. made the ultimate sacrifice and was killed while serving our country.

Private Jose Casanova Jr., a product of the public school system, earned his high school diploma in June of 1999 from Arroyo High School. During high school, Private Casanova was an active member of the student body participating in football, soccer, track and band. After graduation, his passion for music and helping people led him to return to Arroyo High School as a mentor to younger musicians.

On January 3, 2002, Private Casanova enlisted in the United States Army to serve his country and to achieve his dream of going to college and becoming a firefighter. Private Jose Casanova Jr. received training in Fort Bragg North Carolina. His 82nd Airborne unit was activated and deployed to Iraq on February 14, 2003.

Jose Casanova Jr., a United States citizen and a true patriot, is survived by his mother Teresa Munoz De Casanova and father Jose Casanova Jr. and eight siblings: Sergio, Gustavo, Olga de Carmen, Veronica, Teresa, Maria De Lourdes, Melissa and Gerardo.

Private Casanova's sacrifice will not be forgotten. We are forever in his debt.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today before you to tell you about a very moving experience I had this weekend. I traveled to the city of Ciudad Juarez in Mexico on a fact-finding mission with three other Members of Congress.

Over 300 young women between the ages of 15 and 20 years of age were either sexually assaulted, raped, tortured and brutally murdered in the Ciudad Juarez in the past 10 years.

I met with heartbroken families who were suffering from their losses. The families I met with wore pink hats and T-shirts with pictures of their loved ones that were missing, asking for justice, for ``Justicia.''

They are rightfully looking for justice and closure to these awful murders. Many of these women and girls were abducted on their way to work or returning home from work or school.

I wish all Members could see where some of these women live, in great miserable conditions where neighborhoods have no paved roads, no electricity, and no street lighting.

So women have to travel by walking several blocks in the evening. Once they come home from work, many of them work there along the border.

On Tuesday, the day that I returned from our trip from Ciudad Juarez, the body of a woman was found battered to death and then wrapped in a plastic bag. The fact is that this continues to happen, does not make it acceptable or tolerable.

In August, the Mexican Government established a commission that we hope will work and collaborate with our government, the FBI, and also other entities and the State Department to come to some conclusion.

Mr. Speaker, I stand before you today to recognize October 15 as the first ever National Latino AIDS Awareness Day. On this day, in over 100 cities throughout the United States, Latino leadership will sponsor a variety of activities raising awareness of the state of AIDS among Latinos.

For the past twenty years, AIDS has posed a formidable threat to Latino communities and families. As of December 2001, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates there have been 149,742 cumulative Latino AIDS cases in the United States. Latinos in the United States have been disproportionately affected by the AIDS epidemic. Although Latinos comprise 14 percent of the population in the United States, they account for 20 percent of all those living with AIDS. Furthermore, Latinos are over represented in the number of new HIV infections and AIDS cases. Two groups in particular, Latinas and Latino youth, have been acutely affected. The rate of Latinas with AIDS as a proportion of all Latino AIDS cases has climbed from 15 percent in 1990 to 23 percent in 2000. Latino teens make up 15 percent of the national teenage population but account for 21 percent of new AIDS cases.

In Los Angeles County, an estimated 52,000 men, women, and children are living with AIDS. In 2000, Latinos comprised 41.8 percent of AIDS cases LA County. A rather heartbreaking reality is that in Los Angeles, nearly half of all newborns with HIV are Latino. And as of December 31, 2001, in my community of the San Gabriel Valley, there are 1,121 people living with AIDS.

As the nation's largest and fastest growing ethnic minority group in the United States, addressing the impact of HIV/AIDS in the Latino community takes on an even greater significance in the overall effort to improve our nation's health. National Latino AIDS Awareness Day is a time for our nation to recognize the needs of communities of color and embark on a more proactive fight against AIDS. We must do more than just talk about AIDS. We need to put real action behind our words and good intentions, particularly by adequately funding programs like the Minority AIDS Initiative and increasing emphasis on disease prevention.

These are starting statistics and we must remember that behind these statistics are human faces and human lives, those of our sisters and brothers, mothers and fathers, and our colleagues and friends. On this first National Latino AIDS Awareness Day, I ask that we remember those who have lost their lives to AIDS, show compassion toward and support for those currently living with the disease, and pray for all families and communities whose lives have been touched in some way.

Mr. Chairman, today I rise also in strong support of our men and women who currently serve us with their uniforms that they so proudly wear in Iraq and Afghanistan, but I also have serious concerns about the President's supplemental request.

The administration's $87 billion request fails to outline what I believe is a concrete plan for our soldiers' and our country's involvement in Iraq. We currently have, as you know, over 40,000 troops in Iraq who lack protective body plates and about 46 percent of the spare parts the Army needs, but this bill has no plan to address these urgent needs. We also have about 37,000 noncitizen soldiers, many of whom come from our districts who serve in our military, including about 3,000 noncitizens who are serving right now in Iraq. These soldiers deserve to be granted citizenship since they are protecting and defending our country. But this bill has no outline or plan for expediting their citizenship.

This past weekend, Members, another one of my constituents, Private First Class Jose Casanova was killed in Iraq. He deserves a better plan. He deserves a guarantee that he is going to be taken care of and his family will be taken care of.

The Iraq supplemental outlines a $21 billion reconstruction plan for Iraq, but we need reconstruction here at home. I say that because in the county that I represent, Los Angeles County, we are faced with over an $800 million deficit that we will have to somehow pay for in the next 2 years. The deficit has caused the closures of 11 clinics, health clinics that will now deprive hundreds, if not thousands, hundreds of thousands of people without medical help and treatment in our districts. But this bill has no plan for reconstruction to restore those health clinics in our districts.

Mr. Chairman, that is why I rise today to say that I am strongly against

this appropriation and urge my colleagues to follow suit.

Mr. Speaker, during rollcall vote No. 535 on H.R. 3108, the Pension Funding Equity Act, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, during rollcall vote No. 536 on H.R. 2297, the Veterans Benefits Act, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, during rollcall vote No. 537 on H.R. 2298, on exempting members of the Armed Forces from subsistence charges while hospitalized, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, during rollcall vote No. 538 on H. Res. 355, concerning diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Bulgaria, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, during rollcall vote No. 539 on H. Res. 372, expressing condolences for Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, during rollcall vote No. 532 on H. Con. Res. 274, Commending the National Endowment for Democracy, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, during rollcall vote No. 533 on the Bishop Motion to instruct conferees on H.R. 1, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, during rollcall vote No. 534 on the Flake Motion to instruct conferees on H.R. 1, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, I would like to call attention to the hundreds, if not thousands, of workers that will be converging on Washington, D.C. today as part of the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride. The Freedom Riders are construction workers, cooks, farmworkers, landscapers, nurses, janitors, and even nannies. They work hard and they pay taxes. Like the Freedom Riders of 1961, today's Freedom Riders are advocating an end to unfair policies and unjust treatment. These policies deny millions a clear road to citizenship and make them vulnerable to abuses in the workplace.

We should enact laws that reflect the reality of our economy's labor needs and that recognize the important contribution of immigrants. That is why I have introduced a resolution today supporting Freedom Ride and urging President Bush and the Congress to reform our broken immigration system.

Over 2 years ago, President Bush pledged his support for an earned adjustment program for undocumented immigrants but has yet to deliver. Millions of immigrants and their families continue to live in the shadows, wanting to participate fully in American society.

I urge my colleagues to support my resolution and call on the President and Congress to support the policies that ensure that all workers are treated with dignity and respect.

Mr. Speaker, I rise before you today to recognize one of the most inspiring and remarkable Latino leaders in our country, Mr. Gus Chavez. Gus Chavez is a bellwether in higher education and human service. Most importantly, he is an exceptional human being who has dedicated his entire professional life to improving access to higher education for underrepresented minorities in southern California.

For more than 30 years, Mr. Chavez has worked as director of the Offices of Educational Opportunity/Ethnic Affairs and Affirmative Action at San Diego State University. An alumnus of SDSU, Gus Chavez was responsible for recruitment, admission and retention services of low income and educationally disadvantaged students at SDSU. He also assisted and promoted the development of university initiatives aimed at admitting a racially and culturally diversified student body throughout the university.

Under his leadership, EOP/Ethnic Affairs at San Diego State has admitted over 22,000 low-income students in the university. Currently, San Diego State ranks 5th in the nation in awarding Bachelor of Arts degrees to Latino students.

Throughout his illustrious career Mr. Chavez has earned numerous awards for his monumental accomplishments. Some of his awards include the Outstanding MEChA Faculty/Staff Award, the California Educational Opportunity Program Directors Service Award, and the Cesar E. Chavez Award for Social Justice Service. Although many of his awards come from the Latino community, African American and Filipino SDSU students have also recognized him. During his career, he earned the African Student Union Service Award and the Filipino American Council of San Diego County Service Award.

After more than 30 years of serving underrepresented students, Mr. Chavez continues to mentor young people in his retired state. I unwaveringly commend him for his excellent work and for all his remarkable accomplishments.

I am privileged to recognize him as the perfect example of today's exceptional leader.

Mr. Speaker, I stand before you today to recognize one of the most significant civil rights movements I have had the privilege of supporting. On September 20, 2003, buses in nine major U.S. cities will take hundreds of immigrant workers and their allies on a cross country expedition to Washington, D.C. and New York City. The Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride of 2003 will mark an important moment in the history of our great nation.

Inspired by the freedom rides of the 1960s, the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride (IWFR) will promote the civil rights of our immigrant population and help educate the public and elected officials about new requirements in immigration policy. IWFR hopes to help immigrant workers, living and paying taxes in the United States, to: (1) legalize their status; (2) have a clear road to citizenship; (3) reunify their families; (4) have a voice on the job regardless of legal status; and (5) enjoy full protection of the civil rights and civil liberties for all.

I also want to recognize the exceptional leadership of Maria Elena Durazo, David Glaser, and the sponsoring committees and individuals of the IWFR. Without their hard work the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride would not be possible. These two individuals and their sponsors exemplify the true meaning of leadership and stewardship.

The IWFR will not only help draw a new map for U.S. immigrants seeking citizenship, but it will also celebrate the American dream, the dream of becoming a citizen of the United States of America.

I am privileged to recognize the 2003 Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride as an excellent example of the freedom our great country provides.