Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate Black History Month.

I am humbled by leaders in my district, like Lawrence McClain, a pioneer who opened up Homestead to new settlement; Officer Clifford Hollis, the first African American police officer in Florida City and Homestead; as well as Chief Rolle, the first African American police chief.

There have been numerous historic accomplishments in my district thanks to people like Doris Ison and Colonel Hartley, who helped in health care and made a difference to African Americans in South Dade. We have also seen the torch of public service passed down from the late Reverend Ferguson and Senator Larcenia Bullard to Florida City Commissioner Avis Brown, Senator Dwight Bullard, Commissioner Moss, and longtime civic educator and activist, Rosemary Fuller.

We must always remember the great leaders who have come before us, marching forward as we fight for civil rights and equality for all.

I thank the gentleman from Colorado.

There should be no question by now that immigration reform is good for America, and Americans want immigration reform. Nearly 80 percent of Americans agree, and up to 70 percent of Republicans support reform with a pathway to citizenship. The issue is not simply about justice and fairness. It is about ensuring America's economic prosperity.

In Florida alone, legalizing all the currently undocumented immigrants would generate $1.3 billion of new tax revenue and create 97,000 new jobs.

Mr. Speaker, fixing our broken immigration system will help small businesses expand, foster innovation, increase productivity, raise wages, and help create thousands of jobs. Comprehensive immigration reform makes all Americans better, makes our country richer, and makes opportunity for all.

Mr. Speaker, one of the great tragedies of some countries is they fail to realize what they are truly good at. If there is something that America is better at than any other Nation, it is making Americans. Throughout the history of this great Nation, generation after generation, we have made new Americans better Americans and a greater America.

The statement Mr. Polis mentioned earlier referring to DREAMers as drug mules was ludicrous, but doubling down on those remarks was downright appalling. You know, the gentleman from Iowa not only offends DREAMers, offends the undocumented, he offends all Americans. In defending this statement, claims have been made that detractors only criticize the choice of language, and then he goes further by saying those who attack him simply won't engage on the facts.

Well, yes, the choice of words is offensive, and as the son of an immigrant, I am offended, but the claims are also patently false. They shouldn't be an excuse for not moving immigration reform.

I want to thank my colleagues tonight, and I want to thank the Speaker for the time. The time has come to pass immigration reform. The opportunity is now. Let us not wait. It hurts our country.

Mr. Speaker, as they have for weeks, thousands of Venezuelans continue to risk their lives, taking to the streets in protest of their failed government. The people of Venezuela have seen their economy collapse, family members kidnapped, friends murdered.

While they plead for a better future for their country, the government brutally attacks its own citizens and clamps down on basic freedoms. This is not a democracy, and no conscientious nation should remain silent.

It is our responsibility to make sure the world knows full well what is happening in Venezuela, and that the Venezuelan government is accountable for these blatant violations of universal democratic principles.

As the protesters' latest motto goes, ``El que se cansa pierde''--he who tires, loses. The fight for freedom, justice, and human rights will never, never die.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Colorado for yielding.

I want to recognize precisely what the gentleman from Maryland was talking about.

I would like to urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the previous question so we can get to this important issue.

I appreciate the gentleman from Texas' understanding of this. But I want to talk about the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act, which is a bipartisan bill that would delay crippling premium increases that are affecting people throughout south Florida and throughout the country, and I want to talk about specific people.

Mr. Speaker, because of rising flood insurance rates, people are literally walking away from their homes. I recently spoke to Derek and Robin Menard. They had an increase because the property owner of where they rent put it on their bill, and so they could not afford to remain in south Florida because it just got too expensive. After 9 years of calling south Florida home, they were forced to move away. They were forced to find jobs where they had moved to in Pennsylvania. They had to pull their little daughter, Millie, out of school, and she had to change friends and neighborhood.

Mr. Speaker, this is not right. While I recognize the gentleman from Texas wants to solve this, we have a bipartisan bill that was passed out of the Senate. We can pass this out now and then get to working on this problem before we hurt more people, before we force more people to move away from their community, their friends, their loved ones, due to these exorbitant insurance rates.

So, for this reason, I urge my colleagues to defeat the previous question so we can pass a bipartisan bill that makes common sense and provides a solution and much-needed relief to policyholders.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize a Miami native and Cuban American short-track speed skater, Eddy Alvarez.

When I first heard about this south Florida ice speed skater, I was even more astounded than when I found out about the Jamaican bobsled team. Disney may have to make a movie about this. In all seriousness, Eddy had his first competition in Sochi this morning, and he will continue competing in events this week.

Eddy learned to roller skate in south Miami, and then took to the ice, eventually competing internationally with great success. I am proud to note that Eddy attended Christopher Columbus High School and practiced at the Kendall Ice Arena--both great institutions in my district.

Eddy is a remarkable example of American determination and dedication. I wish him and his fellow Olympians all the success in Sochi.

I would like to thank my colleague from Florida for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I want to echo the words of the previous speaker. Like the gentleman, though, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the previous question so that we can take up a more important vote, so we can take up the strongly bipartisan Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act.

During this Congress, we have spent far, far too much time on issues that divide us rather than on bipartisan issues that unite us. The Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act is just that kind of bipartisan legislation that should be at the top of the House's agenda. It would relieve homeowners of crushing premium rate increases, strengthen our housing market, and support economic recovery. That is why this legislation has such strong bipartisan support.

The Senate passed this bill by a 67-32 margin. The House companion bill has 182 cosponsors, including 56 Republican cosponsors.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in voting to take up the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act today. It just can't wait. It is time to make a difference. For this reason, I urge my colleagues to defeat the previous question so we can take up this bipartisan legislation.

Mr. Speaker, because of rising flood insurance rates, people are literally walking away from their homes. I recently heard from Robin and Derek, a South Florida couple whose landlord had increased their rent to cover the property's rising flood insurance rates. The rent increase made staying in their home too expensive for Robin and Derek. Despite searching, they were unable to find another affordable house in the area. After nine years of calling South Florida home, they were forced to leave Florida and move north to Pennsylvania. The couple had to find new jobs in a new town. Their young daughter had to be pulled from her childhood home, her school, and all of her friends.

Mr. Speaker, this is not right. I ask that my colleagues join me in recognizing that by voting to take up the Homeowners Flood Insurance Affordability Act today. This can't wait. We have to act to protect hardworking Americans from these exorbitant rate increases before anyone else is forced to walk away from their home.

For this reason, I urge my colleagues to defeat the previous question so we can pass this bipartisan, commonsense solution and provide much- needed relief for homeowners in South Florida and across America.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to commemorate the 65th anniversary of Richmond Heights, a community that from its very beginning fostered inclusion and respect.

I recently had the opportunity to read a great book, ``Miami's Richmond Heights,'' which was written by Patricia Harper Garrett and her daughter, Jessica Garrett Modkins, good friends of mine. It chronicles the story of a community that was set up by Captain Frank Martin, a White Pan Am pilot, who bought the land in 1949, knowing that a lot of World War II veterans, African American World War II veterans, would be returning armed with the GI Bill, but unable to purchase homes. He created this community based on racial equality and inclusion. It is one of the great communities of my district.

The African American leadership that it inspired--folks like Canon Theodore Gibson, Reverend John A. Ferguson, who created the Second Baptist Church, and Senator Larcenia Bullard--that leadership has been passed on to others in Richmond Heights where today we have Senator Dwight Bullard and Reverend Alphonso Jackson.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that I commemorate the 65th anniversary of Richmond Heights and Patricia Garrett's terrific book.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Tax Identity Theft Awareness Week, and I urge my colleagues to join me in working to reduce this invasive crime.

Floridians suffer from some of the highest rates of identity theft in the country, with over 70,000 people filing complaints of identity theft last year. Whether they shop at neighborhood mom-and-pop stores or large retailers, Americans deserve to buy what they need without living in fear of having given away private information or being compromised.

That is why I introduced the Safe ID Act, in order to address the growing problem of identity theft and tax fraud.

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill and other commonsense efforts to stop this heinous crime.

Mr. Speaker, although the recent budget compromise has given our economy a measure of stability--and we are all thankful for that--it did so at the cost of vital benefits for our military and their families.

The budget deal cut $6 billion by reducing the crucial cost-of-living adjustment, or COLAs, for thousands of veterans in south Florida and across the country. This is a miniscule part of the Federal deficit-- less than 0.1 percent--but it makes a huge difference for those who have given so much.

Cost-of-living adjustments help seniors and veterans keep up with the rising costs and basic needs like groceries and clothing. There are a lot of places to cut the Federal deficits, but it shouldn't be in aiding those men and women who have sacrificed so much.

That is why I have cosponsored legislation to repeal this cut, and I urge my colleagues to join me in support of our Nation's heroes.

Mr. Speaker, our priority in Congress should be to find solutions, to boost our economy and get people back to work. While we are still working to get our economy back on track, Americans need to be able to feed their families and support themselves. It is about fairness.

That is why I urge my colleagues today to extend the emergency unemployment insurance. For every dollar spent on unemployment insurance, we generate $1.55 in new economic activity in its first year, which is why we create more jobs and will get Americans back to work.

In Florida alone, 70,000 people have lost this essential lifeline during the holiday season. And if we don't act, this number could double in the next 6 months.

Mr. Speaker, this is simply a question of fairness. It is the right thing to do for our families and for our economy.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Colorado, who has been having these sessions now for all the month of November. We began at the end of October and then have gone through the session in December. He has been an ardent champion of this issue. He has been a leader in our caucus. He has been doing the right thing, and I am very thankful for his efforts on our behalf.

I want to mention that, last week, when we were doing this, the Speaker made a ruling of something that I probably did incorrectly in my speech; but I want to now yield to the gentleman from Colorado because he spoke for millions of those who have no voice, who cannot come to this floor and claim something that is so American--a system that works, a system that makes sense, a system that is fair to all its citizens, in fact, to all of its people.

I would like to thank my colleagues for joining me here tonight.

Mr. Speaker, we are here to discuss a vitally important issue. We need to pass comprehensive, commonsense immigration reform.

We feel the consequences of our broken immigration system every day. We may not agree on the best way to go about fixing it, but disagreement is no excuse for inaction.

With every day that passes, millions continue to live in the shadows and jobs continue slipping away overseas. This is not simply just an issue of fairness. It is about ensuring America's economic prosperity.

In Florida alone, legalizing those currently unauthorized to live would generate $1.3 billion in new tax revenue and create 97,000 new jobs. Fixing our broken immigration system will help small businesses expand, foster innovation, increase productivity, raise wages, and help create thousands of jobs. Comprehensive immigration reform makes all Americans better, makes our country richer, and creates opportunity for all.

We must work together to find a solution that secures our borders, builds our economy, and provides a way forward for millions of undocumented individuals living in the United States.

This week, a group of children dropped by my office. They were dropping by to express their wish for the new year. Their families have been ripped apart by our immigration system, and they came to deliver letters from a thousand children facing the same struggle. I would like to share one of those letters with you:

Dear Congress,

My name is Charlie Hoz-Pena and I am Anthony's brother. I'm

11 and I'm in fifth grade.

I'm writing to tell you my worst nightmare became real.

Last year our dad was taken away from us and was sent to

Mexico. We fought really hard to get him out of jail. I went

to church and prayed, we did protests, vigils, wrote letters,

petitions and I behaved well in school. But Immigration did

not listen. They don't care about us.

I even thought about killing myself because I is sad when

bad things happen to good people and because I love my dad

very much. I am very angry at Congress and Obama.

It's really hard on me and Anthony and my mom. I love my

mom too and she keeps us safe and comfortable but it's really

hard for her too. Every time I hear her crying I feel sad,

she cries because she misses him. She has to find a lot of

jobs cleaning houses to support us.

So Congress, please get your act together. I want

immigration reform please. You can do it. Do your job.

Obama, you have the power to stop deporting people.

Congress, you are breaking families apart every day until you

pass immigration reform. You have a chance to help families.

So please do it now.

What if immigration broke up your family? Would you like

it? Now just close your eyes and imagine your family

destroyed. It is not a happy thought. It is a horrible

feeling. It is like when somebody you care about dies. It is

sad because you may never see them again. I don't know how

long I am gonna have to wait to see my dad back. No child and

family should suffer like we did.

Congress, we belong together. I hope you can understand

what that means.

Sincerely,

Charlie

Charlie is right: we can't wait any longer. The time is now to pass comprehensive immigration reform.

Although the Senate has acted in a bipartisan way to pass comprehensive immigration reform, the House of Representatives has not passed an immigration reform bill in this Congress. It is unacceptable.

Ultimately, all of us, Democrat and Republican alike, should want the same things: a secure border, a stronger economy, and more jobs for the middle class.

We should have a vigorous debate about this important issue, but a sensible one also that moves us forward. Unfortunately, that has not always been the case.

Just this week, my colleague from Iowa compared allowing the undocumented to earn their citizenship as letting bank robbers walk away with the loot. This type of rhetoric has no place in this debate.

We can do better. Our country demands we do better. Let's get this done. The time is now for comprehensive immigration reform.

I yield to the gentleman from Colorado.

Mr. Speaker, I agree with the gentleman from Colorado. By the way, I love the fact you refer to me as the gentleman from Miami. I always thought we should have our own State.

Let me just mention that there is a very good article that was written last year in July by Jennifer Rubin in The Washington Post. It sort of listed all these phoney arguments that we have.

The first: the Senate bill is dead on arrival. We have heard this from the Speaker before. We have heard no agreements, no comprises. We heard that VAWA, the Violence Against Women Act, was going to be dead or, as they said, they were going to write their own. Well, of course, nothing came and we passed the Violence Against Women Act, which we should have passed earlier on.

The second argument: the Senate bill isn't strong enough on border security. Well, the Senate bill spends more money on border security, almost an insane amount. That is why we took it out of our bill, because we didn't think that this House would look at such an expensive bill. But the question is: Is what we have better than what we are looking at? Of course, the answer is, no, we are not moving forward.

This one is the one I love, but it is more of a Herman Cain type argument: the bill is long. This is a very complex issue and, of course, it is long because we are trying to solve worker issues, we are trying to solve innovation issues, we are trying to solve a lot of important things that affect us all.

The fourth argument: the Obama administration won't enforce it. Well, here I have to say that Obama must be one of anti-immigration's favorite Presidents because he has deported more people than any President before. In October, I think we reached 2 million people being deported. That is thousands upon thousands of families destroyed; that is workers being taken out of the economy. That is what the President did.

Yes, of course, I will yield to the gentleman.

That is exactly right.

Another argument: you can't bring in low-skilled workers. Well, the bracero program proved that when you had a functioning program illegal immigration went down, not up. We know that for a fact. Here is what we also know. When President Reagan had an immigration bill, we know that the salaries for the middle class and working class went up for 5 years in a row because it worked.

The seventh argument: there aren't enough high-skilled workers being allowed in. All right, so let's write legislation that increases the high-skilled labor.

``Republicans don't need to pass immigration reform to keep their House seats.'' Well, if it doesn't affect their House seats, then why are they opposed to it? And, more importantly, this is, of course, the silliest of arguments when you understand the demographics. I know I have spoken to this with the gentleman from Colorado. When you look at the high water mark of a Republican Presidential race, it was achieved by George Bush, a pro-immigrant President; but when you look behind those numbers, and you look at the 44 percent that he achieved nationally, what you realize is he didn't receive those numbers from second- and third-generation Americans. He received it from first- generation Americans voting, and voting over 50 percent for George Bush for President. This is something that is a commonsense thing and makes sense for it.

The ninth argument: it was passed too quickly in the Senate. Well, unlike the House, they have had long debates on this. They had weeks of hearings, they had bipartisan meetings for over a year before, they had the commitment of the President of the Senate, the majority leader of the Senate to get this done.

Look, I could go on and on; but I think what is clear is that we can make a lot of silly arguments, but the time has come to act. We were promised by the Speaker that this would be taken up and it hasn't. The time has come to move forward. This is the time for immigration reform. It is good for the country, it is good for these folks, it is good for everyone.

I yield to the gentleman from Colorado.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Caardenas), who is a hard fighter for these issues.

I want to first relate a story. I was debating, the other day, a friend on this issue. He made what he thought was a commonsense argument. He said, Joe, if somebody broke into your house, you would like them to be arrested, right?

I said: Well, the truth is, if somebody broke into my House and filled my refrigerator with fresh fruit and vegetables, if they took care of my mom and got my kid to school, if they then went outside and cut the lawn and painted the house, worked on the roof, I think I might owe them money.

The reality is these folks are an essential part of our country. They make us work and they make us better.

With that, I yield to the gentleman from California.

I thank the gentleman from California for those wonderful words.

I yield to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Polis).

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

I thank the gentleman from Florida.

Madam Speaker, I don't know of any other district in the United States that more clearly shows the economic contributions of immigrants than my own. You see it everywhere, from the languages spoken on the street to the diverse businesses on every corner.

Miami is a town built by immigrants. It is a perfect example of what happens when, instead of forcing people to live in the shadows, you welcome immigrants and you allow them to work and become valued members of the community.

Over the last 50 years, south Florida has seen unprecedented growth and has become the gateway to Latin America and its economy. None of this--none of this--would be possible without the hard work of immigrants who came to my community searching for the American Dream, just like my parents did. I would like to share a few of their stories.

Jose lives in Homestead. It is an area in my district that produces nearly half of the winter vegetables consumed in the entire United States. He came to this country in 1986 and, despite his best efforts, was unable to gain status. Even after suffering from a workplace accident that resulted in his finger being amputated and another in which he injured his back and arm, he still wakes up every day at 5 a.m. to do whatever needs to be done on the farm, from cleaning to planting to packing. Jose's wife was deported. He is now the primary breadwinner for his family. Both of his parents died in Mexico. He was unable to say good-bye. Jose does his job, pays his taxes, and serves as an advocate and mentor for other farmworkers, but our immigration system has done nothing but turn a blind eye to his sacrifice.

Lourdes started working in the fields at the age of 10, picking asparagus, tomatoes, and cucumbers all over the east coast. Despite having to drop out of high school because of the work and the constant moving, Lourdes eventually was able to complete her social work degree 20 years after she started, and all of her children have been able to go to college. Last year, she was recognized by the White House as a champion of change and is now an advocate for the farmworker community and is a proud champion of immigration reform.

And finally, I want to talk about someone who is sitting in the gallery, Secia Soza. Until the age of 8, she had always assumed that she had been born in the United States, like her brother. While she eventually was granted deferred action, both of her parents have been deported.

Neither were criminals. In fact, her father owned a small business.

There are millions of Joses and Lourdeses and Secias. They grow our food, they build our homes, and they care for our families. They often work at jobs that no one wants and start businesses that create jobs when there were none before and in areas where they are needed most.

Our Nation would not be the society it is today without the generations of immigrants who came to our shores searching for a better life. The 11 million undocumented individuals living here today are no different. They are American in every way but on paper.

If we want to secure our economic future, we need to fix our broken immigration system in a way that addresses our need for immigrant workers and recognizes the incredible sacrifices and hard work that immigrants endure.

Jose, Lourdes, and Secia have waited long enough. The time to pass immigration reform is now.

If the gentleman from Colorado would permit, I also want to recognize those folks who labor in my community at this a long time. They spend enormous hours and effort trying to pass this. From our communities they come here and make a difference. We thank them. Some of them are in the audience today. I appreciate their work. Among them, Nora Santiago, has done a wonderful job for years, not only in moving the issue but in caring for some of these children that get left behind when their parents get deported.

With that, I yield to the gentleman from Colorado.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an exemplary Christian whose life of service to both God, and her fellow man, was an inspiration to both her children and her community.

Jeanet Hall passed away on Thursday, November 21st, 2013 at the age of 76. Though she is no longer with us, she leaves behind a lifetime of selflessness. Jeanet lived for her family, attending to her seventeen children, sixty eight grandchildren, sixty-three great grandchildren, ten great-great grandchildren, three adopted daughters; two nephews, two nieces, two great nephews, one great niece; and two Godchildren.

All the while, she was also involved in ministry at Bethel Baptist Church and served faithfully in the choir, driving the bus for the Evangelism Ministry and attending all special programs and church activities.

I extend my condolences to Jeanet's family and friends, but may they, as well as all of us, take strength in the selfless contributions and sincere love that Jeanet has left for us to emulate.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a woman whose commitment to improving the lives of children in the Florida Keys is only eclipsed by her success in doing so. In her eighteen years as President and CEO of the Florida Keys Children's Shelter, Kathy Tuell has served the needs of hundreds of children still without a family to call their own. These efforts proved fruitful during her participation in the federal workgroup that established basic standards for programs funded under the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act.

It is my pleasure to congratulate Ms. Tuell for her recognition as one of this year's Angels in Adoption by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute.

I commend Ms. Tuell for her accomplishments and service, as she serves as an exemplar citizen and advocate of the less fortunate.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mrs. Irene Staggers Harris, whose tireless efforts within her parish, as well as her community, have earned her the title of Bishop.

The daughter of the late Pastor Arthur Staggers, Mrs. Staggers Harris has a lifetime of faithful church attendance, dedication, and ministry work. She began as an Ordained Elder in Greater St. Matthews Church in Florida City. With her leadership the ministry began to flourish and grow, advancing the increase of new Ministers and Deacons, and various other church initiatives. She also helped develop The Greater Love Daycare, Inc. which provides low-income parents with affordable pre- schooling for their children, and serves on the board of the South-Dade Ministerial Allowance, which is focused on crime prevention efforts in Homestead and Florida City Communities.

Because of these accomplishments, Mrs. Staggers Harris was considered and recently ordained bishop in the Shekinah Glory Deliverance Churches.

I applaud Mrs. Staggers Harris for her accomplishments and new designation. May she continue to lead and inspire her community through the grace of God.