Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, as we approach Veterans Day, I rise to honor the memory of Philip Ayala, Sr., who passed away just over a year ago.

Phil, as his family and friends called him, was a beloved neighbor in Berwyn, Illinois.

When he was just 17 years old, Phil enlisted in the U.S. Army and honorably served our country in Vietnam.

Phil kept our community safe as a Cook County deputy sheriff and fought to make the police force more diverse through his work with Congressman Ralph Metcalfe and the Concerned Citizens for Police Reform.

Phil cofounded El Centro de la Causa, an agency that worked with Mexican-American youth and the Spanish-speaking population in the 1970s.

In his three decades at El Centro, Phil provided support and built the infrastructure that led to the founding of so many other organizations in the community.

For Phil, the ultimate goal was to give back to the community. Whether it was meeting with President Carter at the White House alongside Latino leaders or serving as a member of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights or through his work in our neighborhoods, Phil fulfilled the goal with every fiber in his being.

Madam Speaker, I thank Phil for his service. May he rest in peace.

Mr. Chair, I understand that we are living in uncertain times. We are witnessing an unjustifiable war of aggression in Ukraine and a global democratic backslide. Congress can respond to national security needs as they arise. We don't have to spend billions of dollars on what-ifs.

These risks are already built into the Pentagon's budget request. If military leaders want more funding for their wish lists, there is nothing in this amendment that will prevent the DOD from supplying an unfunded priorities list to Congress, but this process should be optional just as it was 7 years ago.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this amendment.

Mr. Speaker, today I want to honor Sergio and Mary Suarez, residents from my district and small business owners as they celebrate the 25th anniversary of their restaurant, Taqueria Los Comales.

Twenty-five years ago Sergio and Mary decided to open a taqueria in Melrose Park, Illinois. They were determined to make it the best of the best.

With dedication and creativity, they put together a menu that combines authentic Mexican recipes with American community traditions, all surrounded with hospitality and family love.

Since he was a child, Sergio has had to work to help support his family. At the age of 6, he was shining shoes to make some money. He never thought he would become the restaurant owner and business leader he is now. He immigrated to the United States from the Mexican state of Jalisco as a teenager and has built his American Dream one small business at a time.

Sergio's business instincts and work ethic have been key to his success. He chose Melrose Park as the location for his first restaurant at a time when it was growing in diversity and the residents needed a friendly neighborhood restaurant with the Mexican food that reminded them of their mom's and abuela's recipes. That's what Los Comales is for many of us.

Sergio has used his experience with business success to support and mentor other aspiring business owners, especially those that came from Mexico and are now living in the United States. In turn, he, is helping the community increase their markets, assisting immigrants, and creating more businesses and jobs. Immigrant-family owned restaurants like Los Comales are pillars of our community and engines of our local economy.

I wish Sergio and Mary Suarez, their whole family and Taqueria Los Comales, many more years of success.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to celebrate the centennial anniversary of the village North Riverside, Illinois.

This area now known as North Riverside sits on Potawatomi land that was purchased by a real estate and fur trading company in 1835.

By 1900, onion farmers had begun to move to the area, and the village grew from there.

The bright neon lights and blaring brass sounds of the legendary Melody Mill ballroom that were a mainstay of the big band era attracted people from all over who were looking for a lindy-hopping night of jazz and swing music.

North Riverside continues to be a thriving place with a vibrant theater scene, sports, scouting, and even a quilting club. Every street has a block captain who helps neighbors and seniors with errands and much more.

Here is to the next 100 years, North Riverside.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the work of Reverend Jesse Jackson as he steps down as president of Rainbow PUSH Coalition.

Reverend Jackson has fearlessly fought for the rights of marginalized communities, serving as a beacon of hope and inspiration for millions.

His Presidential campaign in 1988 was a defining moment, not only for our brothers and sisters in the African-American community, but for all Americans who believed in a more inclusive society.

Jesse Jackson has taught us many lessons, among them, that political empowerment is vital to improving our communities. He has encouraged countless individuals to exercise their fundamental right to vote and ensure that every voice is heard and every vote is counted.

There is no doubt that his relentless pursuit with the Rainbow Coalition played a crucial role in the election of Congressman Harold Washington as Chicago's first progressive and Black mayor.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Reverend Jackson for his lifelong commitment to civil rights and his role in helping shape our country's politics to reflect its diversity.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak against

the latest Republican attempt to vilify and scapegoat immigrants. A few weeks ago it was H.R. 2, the child deportation act, and now it is H. Res. 461.

It is Republicans spending time and taxpayer dollars to trot out stereotypes of migrants as dangerous and dirty and who knows what else.

Republicans are spewing anti-immigrant rhetoric in this resolution to demonstrate that they are standing up for students. But we know it is not true. Perhaps they are using this resolution to distract from the continued attempts to ban books, to take food assistance from needy families, and to block child tax credits which could help families across the country.

Let's remember what Republicans are targeting with this language. They are targeting migrants, many of them asylum seekers, who risked their lives to come to this country and to our cities seeking safety and stability.

They are targeting migrants trafficked by GOP Governors as a political stunt. This resolution is part of the same stunt, designed to sell fear and hatred, to make prime-time slot pieces on FOX News. It is dangerous for immigrants like me and the communities that I represent. I urge my colleagues to reject this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of El Valor, a multicultural non-profit organization whose mission is to support children. people with disabilities, and their young families to achieve excellence and participate fully in life throughout the Chicagoland area and Cook County, Illinois.

El Valor was founded in 1973, when Guadalupe Reyes could not find quality care for her son with mental and physical disabilities. It was this need for a place that was welcoming and supportive for the most marginalized members of our community that led to the inception of El Valor.

Over the past five decades, El Valor has been a home and place of belonging. From early childhood education programs in English and Spanish to adult programs for individuals of all abilities, and professional development opportunities for rising community leaders, El Valor supports people in achieving their full potential.

I am honored to commemorate El Valor on their 50th Anniversary. Congratulations (!Felicidades!).

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Woodstock Institute. Woodstock Institute is a pioneering organization dedicated to promoting economic justice and racial equity within financial systems through comprehensive research and impactful advocacy efforts.

Woodstock Institute was founded in 1973 by Sylvia Scheinfeld as a center of community in Woodstock, Illinois to fight against redlining in Chicago.

Over the past five decades, Woodstock Institute has become a nationally-renowned, consequential organization leading the charge on fair and equitable access to credit, consumer financial protection and community economic development.

Woodstock Institute has been a leader in closing the racial wealth gap for Latino and Black communities across Chicagoland and the United States. At a time when banks are failing, people face a rental crisis, and interest rates keep rising, Woodstock Institute's work is more necessary than ever. I'm glad to have partnered with Woodstock Institute at a Congressional level on issues like capping consumer loans and reining in predatory lending. Together, we have worked tirelessly to address the urgent need for stronger consumer protection measures and to create a more equitable financial system for all Americans.

I am honored to commemorate Woodstock Institute on their 50th Anniversary. Here's to the next 50 years.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a great organizer and community activist, a leader who fought the Chicago machine and built multiracial and intergenerational coalitions, my friend, political mentor, and compadre, Rudy Lozano.

Tomorrow, June 8, marks 40 years since Rudy's life was cut short. A labor organizer, he fought for workers' rights. As a community activist, he fought for justice for immigrant families.

Rudy brought together diverse communities to elect Harold Washington as Chicago's first Black mayor in 1983. Rudy knew political empowerment was vital to improving community conditions.

My presence in Congress and the growing number of progressive Black, Latino, and Asian-American elected officials in Chicagoland represent the enduring impact of his legacy.

Let's continue his legacy by working in coalition to ensure a more inclusive politics for all.

Que viva Rudy Lozano.

Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to honor Mujeres Latinas en Accion on their 50th anniversary of serving and empowering Latinas and their families in Chicago.

When it was founded in 1973 to offer support to domestic violence survivors, there were no other services like this for Spanish-speaking women in Chicago. Today, Mujeres Latinas en Accion helps women find pathways to safer and healthier lives by providing wraparound, bilingual, and culturally sensitive domestic violence and sexual assault services, including a 24-hour hotline for crisis counseling and advocacy efforts.

However, the support does not stop there. Their program, Empresarias del Futuro, trains women interested in starting and expanding small businesses. By obtaining financial independence, they can break the cycle of codependency from their abusers.

Mujeres Latinas en Accion is a force of change. I congratulate and thank them for serving our community with compassion, care, and courage these past 50 years.

Madam Speaker, I rise today because a couple of months ago, a freight train derailed in my district. Thankfully, the cars that derailed were not carrying any hazardous materials and no one was hurt. Earlier this month, another passenger train derailed nearby as it left the station.

Madam Speaker, 25 percent of the Nation's trains pass through the Chicagoland area, and many of the country's largest freight lines pass through my district.

There are children in my district who hop over mile-long trains that block their path to school.

So why am I talking about rail safety when we are supposed to be talking about the default?

Because in Illinois alone the Republican default on America act would take away more than a year's worth of rail safety inspection days--470 to be exact.

If they get their way, Republicans will make rail more dangerous in my district and across the country, and when accidents happen, communities like mine pay the price. For that reason, and for the many reasons that my colleagues are here to bring up, we continue to reject the Republicans' default plan.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 2, the child deportation act.

I rise today because seeking asylum is a human right because we are a nation of immigrants.

I migrated to the U.S. when I was 9, but the same pathways to citizenship that enabled me to become a citizen and become a Member of Congress no longer exist.

Our immigration system has become more restrictive. Our border is more militarized. This Republican bill is the cruelest we have seen in a long time. It destroys asylum. It doubles down on detention. It puts kids in jail. It is a bill intended to rally the base by vilifying immigrants. It is straight out of the Tucker Carlson playbook.

Migrants make the journey through rivers and jungles, in trucks and on trains. They make the journey out of desperation and out of fear.

We need an immigration system rooted in compassion and opportunity, not like this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the Village of Hinsdale, Illinois. A place that has been a pillar of Cook and DuPage counties for nearly two centuries.

Hinsdaleans have long played an important role in shaping the community. It was thanks to Hinsdaleans that the village undertook numerous civic improvements that were ahead of their time. In the 1890s civic projects such as a water pumping station, a sewage system, electric street lights, street paving, and sidewalks contributed to the village's appeal.

I am honored to represent the Village of Hinsdale and thousands of Hinsdaleans in Congress.

Happy Sesquicentennial, Hinsdale. Here's to the next 150 years.

Madam Speaker, I rise today with fellow members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus because we are running out of time to save the DACA program. We can save the program through congressional action in the waning days of this Congress.

Since 2012, DACA has created a glimpse of hope. DACA provides temporary legal status to thousands of people who know no other country than ours in the United States. They are our teachers, our nurses, our firefighters, our friends, our neighbors, and our loved ones.

Let's be clear: 75 percent of the American people support DACA. We know it strengthens our economy and makes us a better country, and both Republicans and Democrats agree.

Still, the program has faced multiple court challenges, and if we don't do something to save it, the program will end.

We need to save the DACA program, not only because it grows our economy, but because it is simply the right thing to do.

Let me tell Yesenia's story.

When it became time for a driver's license in high school, Yesenia's teacher forced her to provide a Social Security card, even though he knew Yesenia was undocumented and did not plan to get a license and had no real need to bring a Social Security card to class.

When Yesenia was unable to produce a Social Security card, a classmate mocked her saying, ``she can't bring it because she's illegal.'' Yesenia nearly broke down in tears.

Thanks to DACA, Yesenia was afforded a stability she has never known, no longer carrying the fear of being deported or separated from her family.

Or think about Elizeth. She would wake up at 3:30 a.m. every day to prepare tamales and sell them before hurrying to school. She did this through elementary and middle school.

Classmates belittled Elizeth, calling her ``la tamalera.'' Like Yesenia, Elizeth applied for DACA when the program was created. Eventually, Elizeth saved enough by selling tamales to pay her way through college. This is what they do. This is who they are.

Both Elizeth and Yesenia are my constituents; and to my colleagues in the Senate, DACA recipients are your constituents too.

Every DACA recipient has a story of homes lost and new homes found, stories of growing up, stories of pain and perseverance that demand action.

Ending DACA will shatter the lives of nearly 2 million people in our country brought here as children; and it will hurt their families as well. It will separate families and tear communities apart.

The stakes could not be higher. The end of DACA would uproot the lives of 600,000 DACA recipients, in addition to the more than 1.3 million migrants eligible for the program.

Aside from the fact that DACA recipients pay almost $10 billion in taxes each year; aside from the fact that more than 200,000 DACA recipients across the country stepped up for us as frontline workers during the pandemic; our obligation to save DACA, above all else, is a moral one. It is about who we are as a country.

The House has done its job. We passed the American Dream and Promise Act, and now we need the Senate to act on it. It is time to step up, save DACA, and codify it through congressional action.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the work of Illinois House Majority Leader Greg Harris, who is retiring from office at the end of this session after 16 years of dedicated service to the north side of Chicago and to our entire city and State.

Simply put, Majority Leader Harris' tenure in the General Assembly has been historic. He spearheaded the effort to legalize same-sex marriage in Illinois in 2013, championed healthcare reform, and has fought with great success to expand the access to housing in our State.

Majority Leader Harris is a skilled and compassionate legislator. As the first openly gay person in Illinois legislative leadership, he has brought a lived experience to his work and has created a more equitable city and State.

I am grateful for all the work Majority Leader Harris has accomplished. His work will benefit people in Illinois for generations to come. May he enjoy his well-deserved retirement.