Floor Statements

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

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

Until recently, recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA program, have been able to secure mortgage insurance from the Federal Housing Administration, or FHA.

In 2018, lenders began reporting to news sources such as, HousingWire and BuzzFeed, that officials from the Department of Housing and Urban Development had informed them that DACA recipients were not eligible for FHA insurance.

HUD's conflicting responses to public inquiries on the matter left uncertainty in the market over the past year. Then HUD sent a letter to Representative Pete Aguilar 2 weeks ago confirming they had stopped providing FHA insurance for DACA recipients' mortgages.

DACA recipients are individuals living in the U.S. under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, DACA, program. They were brought to the United States as children. They were children.

As individuals even within this administration have expressed, the United States is the only place many of them know. It is their home.

DACA recipients are taxpayers, students, teachers, and soldiers. They are our neighbors. They contribute to our economy and are pillars of our communities. Yet, individuals now seek to deny DACA recipients access to owning a home.

Our government insures mortgages through FHA to help low- and middle- income individuals buy a home. This program allowed DACA recipients to buy their first homes. HUD's move to deny these young people access to Federal insurance has already blocked people from homeownership.

That is why my colleague, Representative Pete Aguilar, and I have offered the amendment here today. This amendment simply prohibits HUD from using funds to deny DACA recipients access to FHA-insured mortgages.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support the amendment and provide these individuals with access to homeownership.

Mr. Chair, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Aguilar).

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

Mr. Chair, I do thank the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Diaz-Balart) for his kind words. I appreciate my good friend.

Mr. Chair, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Price).

Mr. Chair, again, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. I thank the gentleman from North Carolina, the gentleman from California, and, again, my friend from Florida for their comments.

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

Mr. Chair, I would just close with saying this: Remember, these are children who were brought to the United States through no decision of their own. It was their parents'.

So many of us have children, and they don't get to make their own decisions. We make the decisions when they are children on where they go, where they live.

Mr. Chair, let's show some heart. Let's show some love to these young people and allow them to pursue the American Dream. I urge its support.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Immigrant Heritage Month and the millions of immigrant families living, working, and thriving within the United States.

For centuries, our country has welcomed those in search of a better life and has benefited from their meaningful contributions.

As a proud Mexican American, it is a special honor to celebrate my family's immigrant heritage and our Nation's entire immigrant community. Like countless others, my parents came to the United States looking for hope and opportunity for themselves and for the generations to follow.

Thanks to their courage and sacrifice, my siblings and I were able to pursue our American Dreams, an opportunity that is currently, unfortunately, slipping away for far too many.

Today, we are witnessing the devastating effect of President Trump's cruel anti-immigrant agenda, where immigrants are demonized and treated as outsiders; migrants are denied their legal rights to asylum and safety; children are ripped apart from their parents; and adults and children are dying while in U.S. custody.

This is not who we are.

Immigrants from far and wide help build and better our Nation. They have and will continue to be a source of strength to inspire us.

I stand with immigrants today, and I think we all should.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the Calexico Carnegie Library on its 100th anniversary. The library has served as a center of the community for a century. It was built in 1919 with a grant provided by the Carnegie Foundation to be the centerpiece of a planned ``intellectual park.'' When it was threatened with demolition in 1993, the citizens of Calexico united to preserve this historical landmark for future generations. On September 28, 2005 the library was added to the National Register of Historic Places, honoring its cultural significance and Spanish Colonial Revival architecture.

Today, the Calexico Carnegie Library is a public technology center that serves the community daily. The library hosts classes for seniors and reading sessions for children.

I would like to honor the Calexico Carnegie Library for their contributions to the community of Calexico over the past 100 years.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairwoman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to support H.R. 502, the Fight Illicit Networks and Detect Trafficking Act, or, as you heard, the FIND Trafficking Act.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairwoman Waters and Ranking Member McHenry for their support and their guidance of this legislation.

I also especially thank my colleague, Representative Wagner, for her leadership on this issue and for agreeing to co-lead this commonsense, narrowly tailored legislation. I thank her for her guidance and her leadership.

As you may know, a virtual currency is a digital representation of value that can be digitally traded. Since the creation of bitcoin, the first and most widely known example of a cryptocurrency, thousands of cryptocurrencies have emerged that are designed to serve a variety of purposes.

Some forms of virtual currency provide a digital alternative to cash that lacks the oversight of a government or a central bank, and, potentially, offers greater anonymity than conventional payment systems.

Just as virtual currencies have grown in use in legitimate commerce, as we heard from the ranking member, they have also, unfortunately, become an increasingly popular financial payment method for criminals.

Virtual currencies have been, and continue to be, exploited to pay for goods and services associated with illicit sex and drug trafficking. These are two of the most detrimental and troubling illegal activities sold online.

According to the DEA 2017 National Drug Assessment, transnational criminal organizations are increasingly using virtual currencies, due to their ease of use and the anonymity they provide. While evidence points to a growth of virtual currencies as a payment method for illicit sex and drug trafficking, the true scope of the problem and potential solutions have not been fully established.

According to the International Labour Organization, in 2016, 4.8 million people in the world were victims of forced sexual exploitation, and, in 2014, the global profit from commercial sexual exploitation was $99 billion.

Unfortunately, virtual currencies are also being used as a payment method for transnational drug traffickers. As we all know too well, and as was stated here, the United States is struggling to combat the rising number of lives cut short by tragic opioid use. In 2016 alone, the CDC estimated that there were 64,000 deaths in the U.S. related to drug overdose, and the most severe increase in drug overdoses were those associated with fentanyl and fentanyl analogs.

Fentanyl is an extremely deadly opioid, about 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine. Fentanyl is being illicitly manufactured in China and Mexico, with most of the illegal fentanyl in the United States originating primarily in China, and it is readily available to purchase through online marketplaces.

If we are to craft effective regulatory and legislative solutions to combat these transnational criminal organizations, we need to fully study and analyze how virtual currencies and online marketplaces are used to facilitate sex and drug trafficking to determine how to best eliminate their use.

H.R. 502, the FIND Trafficking Act of 2019, requires the Comptroller General of the United States to: one, carry out a study on how virtual currencies and online marketplaces are used to facilitate sex or drug trafficking; and, two, make recommendations to Congress on legislative and regulatory actions that would impede the use of virtual currencies and online marketplaces in facilitating sex and drug trafficking.

It is my sincere hope that this bill is a first step, as we heard, toward crafting bipartisan legislation to impede and, eventually, eliminate the use of virtual currencies by transnational criminal organizations to facilitate drug and sex trafficking.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for the bipartisan nature of this bill--in particular, again, Representative Wagner--and I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Col. Tony Jack Buckles, U.S. Army (Ret.) and his years of dedication to our country and the communities of California's 51st Congressional District.

Col. Tony Jack Buckles, of Pensacola, FL passed away at the age of 69 on December 5, 2018 following a heroic battle with cancer. He is survived by: his wife of 49 years, Nancy C. Buckles; his children: Jonathan (Lauren) Buckles; and Elizabeth (James) Deck; his six beautiful granddaughters: Brenton, Madeline, Catherine, and Elizabeth Buckles and Emilia and Enslie Deck and his mother, Billie Buckles.

Tony was born on November 5, 1949 to Jack and Billie Buckles in Elizabethton, TN. Tony was an alumnus of East Tennessee State University. He was commissioned in June of 1971 as an Armor Officer and after graduating the Armor Officer Orientation Course, Airborne School, and Ranger School, Tony began his distinguished service assigned to the U.S. Army's Third Armored Division in the Federal Republic of Germany.

Tony graduated from many courses, including the Infantry Officer Advanced Course, the United States Marine Corp's Command and Staff College, and achieved the status of distinguished graduate of the National War College at Fort McNair, Washington, DC. Tony's esteemed service led to the fulfillment of a career-long goal of being selected as the Battalion Commander for 1/70 Armor, in the U.S. Army's 5th Mechanized Infantry Division, at Fort Polk, LA, where his battalion was selected as the first in the Division to field the Army's newest battle tank at the time, the M1 Abrams. Tony went on to serve honorably as the Garrison Commander for the U.S. Army's III Armored Corps at Fort Hood, TX, with his military career ultimately concluding with the privilege of serving the U.S. House of Representatives in the U.S. Army's Congressional Liaison Office.

Over the course of Tony's career, he received numerous awards and recognition for his service, culminating with being awarded the U.S. Army's Distinguished Service Medal for exceptionally meritorious service to the Government in duties of great responsibility. Following his retirement, after 30 years of service, Tony became the Chief of Staff for U.S. Congressman Bob Filner, 51st District, California from 2001-2012.

On behalf of California's 51st Congressional District. I would like to formally honor the memory of Col. Tony Jack Buckles on his years of dedicated service to the nation and California's 51st Congressional District.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today to urge my colleagues to support my amendment to H.R. 6147, the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2019. This amendment would increase funding for the U.S.-Mexico Border Water Infrastructure Program by $5 million.

As a Representative of California's entire U.S.-Mexico border, I have seen firsthand the positive impact these programs have on communities in my State and across all of the communities along the U.S. border.

The Tijuana River Valley is a beautiful transboundary watershed on both sides of the border with a mixture of agriculture, preserved habitats, and rural housing developments. Periodic rain in the region produces a steady stream of cross-border flows of wastewater, trash, and sediment from Tijuana into San Diego County. This has a devastating effect on border communities, including Imperial Beach, San Diego, and other residents in the Tijuana River Valley.

Last year, millions of gallons of sewage was discharged in the Tijuana River Valley after a heavy rain. This resulted in prolonged beach closures, which affected the quality of life and the public health of the people in these communities.

Border Patrol agents also experienced very severe health complications from exposure to sewage and to chemicals and toxic waste along the border. San Diego County-based military installations are also at risk of continued disruptions, which would affect their readiness to combat threats.

Residents across San Diego County have grown increasingly frustrated with the lack of progress on viable solutions. All too often, Tijuana's wastewater infrastructure is unable to handle the heavy rains, which result in sewage ending up on the U.S. side of the border.

The EPA's Border Water Infrastructure Program provides resources for communities to build and enhance current long-term protections and rehabilitation projects all along the entire U.S.-Mexico border.

The EPA investments in these wastewater projects are a key factor in significant water quality improvements in U.S. waterbodies, such as the Rio Grande, Santa Cruz River, the New River, and the Tijuana River. The program's funding has made significant progress addressing public beach health and the environmental impact of inadequate drinking water and wastewater infrastructure along the U.S.-Mexico border.

The 2,000-mile border between the United States and Mexico is one of the most complex and dynamic regions in the world, with a growing need to address the transborder environmental issues; so I would urge my colleagues to support this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I thank the chairman for those words, and I know that he wants to continue to work with us, and I look forward to that. I would just add that the situation is getting much worse, and I would also add that a number of these military installations that we are placing right along the border, especially the Special Forces that we have, the SEALS, I think are going to become more and more affected by this sewage that crosses the border.

Mr. Chair, I look forward to working with the chairman and the ranking member to see if we can find more money because this is a real problem in San Diego, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today to urge my colleagues to support my amendment to H.R. 6237.

By adding the use of virtual currencies to section 1505, we will ensure it is included in the assessment of threat financing related to Russia.

This assessment includes officials of the government of Russia, persons subject to sanctions with respect to Russia, Russian nationals subject to sanction, and Russian oligarchs or organized criminals.

Mr. Chairman, as you may know, a virtual currency is a digital representation of value that can be digitally traded.

Since the creation of Bitcoin, the first and most widely known example of a cryptocurrency, thousands of cryptocurrencies have emerged that are designed to serve a variety of purposes.

Just as virtual currencies have grown in use in legitimate commerce, they have become an increasingly popular financial payment method for criminals and other transnational bad actors.

Virtual currencies have been and continue to be exploited to pay for goods and services associated with illicit activities and as an effective tool to launder money or avoid sanctions.

If we are to craft effective solutions to combat Russia's threat finance, we need to fully understand how virtual currencies may be used to finance activities against the United States and our allies, especially NATO. By including the use of virtual currencies in the report, we will ensure a robust analysis that will help us to impede Russian financing of cyber operations.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Murphy).

Mr. Chairman, I would simply then urge my colleagues to support the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. Delores Jacobs for her outstanding career spent dedicated to empowering local San Diego LGBT community members, as well as her inspirational drive to impact public policy. These policies encourage the improvement and preservation of the LGBT community and allies.

Dr. Jacobs launched her momentous career in 1998 when she began serving at The San Diego LGBT Community Center, ``The Center,'' as the Director of Behavioral Health Services. In 2001, she was selected as the Chief Executive Officer of The Center and served this position until June 30, 2018. Thanks to her strong leadership and far-reaching efforts, this facility is now recognized as one of the nation's oldest and largest LGBT Centers, as it now offers over 60,000 services to 25,000 people annually.

Throughout her career of 20 years spent at The Center, Dr. Jacobs' efforts led to the development of progressive, one-of-a-kind programs; Dr. Jacobs assisted in creating the Hillcrest Youth Center, the country's first Latino services department at an LGBT center, as well as the establishment of the 23-unit Sunburst Youth Housing program, which seeks to provide aid for formerly homeless LGBT youth.

Dr. Jacobs' mission did not stop at community involvement, she also sought to impact public policy through the establishment of The Center's Get Out The Vote (GOTV) organization, as well as leading the charge towards the defeat of California's unjust state constitutional amendment, Proposition 8, that banned same-sex marriage.

Dr. Jacobs' proven dedication and leadership has not gone unnoticed, and she remains an inspiration to us all. Delores was chosen as the inaugural recipient of the, ``Local Heroes'' Award from KPBS and Union Bank, as well as the LEAD San Diego's Visionary Award for Diversity and the Equality Leadership Award from Equality California.

On behalf of California's 51st Congressional District, I would like to formally extend my sincere congratulations to Dr. Jacobs on her retirement and career of effecting change for a marginalized community, I wish her all the best in her future endeavors.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent that my amendment be modified with the form I have placed at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, salmon recovery is economically and culturally important to the country.

Recovery efforts must be rooted in science to address the most prevalent threats: fish passage at dams, pesticides, fishing pressures, interactions with hatchery fish, and habitat loss.

Currently, there is very little scientific evidence that sea lion predation has played a significant role in the overall decline of these salmon stocks.

My amendment would rectify this lack of scientific evidence by requiring the Secretary of the Interior study and report to Congress on the effects of lethal takings of sea lions on the recovery of salmon stocks in the Columbia River system.

If we are going to expand the lethal takings of sea lions, we should make sure it will help the salmon recover.

Mr. Chair, I urge adoption of my amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I urge adoption of this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to support H.R. 6069, the Fight Illicit Networks and Detect Trafficking Act, FIND.

Allow me first to thank Chairman Hensarling for his leadership and also Ranking Member Waters for her leadership, and also for their support of this legislation.

I would also like to thank my good friend, Mr. French Hill. I thank him for his kind words and for his support of this bill.

I especially would like to thank Mr. Rothfus for his leadership on the Terrorism and Illicit Finance Subcommittee and for generously agreeing to colead this commonsense, narrowly tailored legislation.

As you may know, a virtual currency is a digital representation of value that can be digitally traded. Since the creation of bitcoin, the first and most widely known example of cryptocurrency, thousands of cryptocurrencies have emerged and are designed to serve a variety of purses.

Some forms of virtual currency provide a digital alternative to cash that lacks the oversight of a government or central bank and, potentially, offers greater anonymity than conventional payment systems.

Just as virtual currencies have grown in use in legitimate commerce, they have also become an increasingly popular financial payment method for criminals. Virtual currencies have been and continue to be exploited to pay for goods and services associated with illicit illegal sex and drug trafficking. These are two of the most detrimental and troubling illegal activities sold online.

According to the DEA 2017 National Drug Threat Assessment, transnational criminal organizations are increasingly using virtual currencies due to their ease of use and the anonymity they provide.

While evidence points to the growth of virtual currencies as a payment method for illicit sex and drug trafficking, the true scope of the problem and the potential solutions have not been fully established.

According to the International Labour Organization, in 2016, 4.8 million people in the world were victims of forced sexual exploitation, and in 2014, the global profit from commercial sexual exploitation was $99 billion.

Unfortunately, virtual currencies are also being used as a payment method for transnational drug traffickers.

As you may know all too well, the United States is struggling to combat the rising number of lives cut short by the tragic use of opioids. As was stated earlier by my good friend Mr. Hill, in 2016 alone, the CDC estimated that there were 64,000 deaths--64,000 deaths-- in the U.S. related to drug overdose.

The most severe increases in drug overdoses were those associated with fentanyl and also fentanyl analogs. Fentanyl is an extremely deadly opioid that is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine. Fentanyl is being illicitly manufactured in China and Mexico, with most of the illegal fentanyl in the United States originating from China, and it is readily available to purchase through the online marketplaces.

If we are to craft effective regulatory and legislative solutions to combat these transnational criminal organizations, we need to fully study and analyze how virtual currencies and online marketplaces are used to facilitate sex and drug trafficking to determine how to best eliminate their use.

H.R. 6069, the FIND Trafficking Act of 2018, requires the Comptroller General of the United States to: one, carry out a study on how virtual currencies and online marketplaces are used to facilitate sex or drug trafficking; and, two, make recommendations to Congress on legislative and regulatory actions that would impede the use of virtual currencies and online marketplaces in facilitating sex and drug trafficking.

It is my sincere hope that this bill is the first step toward crafting bipartisan legislation to impede and eventually eliminate the use of virtual currencies by transnational criminal organizations that facilitate drug and sex trafficking.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I again thank both my colleagues here for their kind words about this bill and the bipartisanship that we have had on this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to raise awareness of a very serious threat against a member of the Society of Jesus in Nicaragua by reading in the Congressional Record a declaration from the Jesuits West Province of the Society of Jesus.

It is a letter written by Father Scott Santarosa, father provincial of the Society of Jesus for the West Province, and it reads like this:

``Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called

children of God.''--Matthew 5:9.

As many of you know, Nicaragua is currently experiencing a

serious and increasing political crisis. The people who

demand democracy, freedom, and justice are firmly committed

to seeking a peaceful solution. There are already more than

153 Nicaraguans who have lost their lives in just over a

month of struggling toward such a resolution.

The Society of Jesus, present in Nicaragua since 1916, has

joined the people in this commitment. Our human, ethical, and

Christian conviction requires us to share support and defend

a peaceful solution to the conflict.

We still have time to avoid more polarization, more

bloodshed, and more pain. Honest dialogue and serious

negotiation are vital in order to achieve it, for whoever

wants peace does not assault, persecute, mistreat, or

intimidate.

We have been informed by a reliable source that the life of

Father Jose Alberto Idiaquez, S.J., rector of the Central

American University, the UCA of Nicaragua, is in serious

danger.

Father Idiaquez has been threatened for participating in

the National Dialogue convened by the Bishops' Conference,

for standing alongside the students, for defending the human

rights of those who are demanding respect for their

constitutional rights, for making continuous calls to the

Nicaraguan Government to give concrete signs that they too

seek justice and democracy, and for involving the university

in the efforts of the Nicaraguan people.

Father general of the Society of Jesus, Father Arturo Sosa,

S.J., resident in Rome, has been informed of this threat.

With his support and on behalf of all of the Jesuits and

committed lay collaborators in Jesuits West, we stand with

the Jesuits of Central America and all of the lay people that

make up the 40 Jesuit institutions that serve the people of

Central America.

We join Father Rolando Alvarado, S.J., provincial of

Central American Province, in holding the Nicaraguan

Government responsible for any aggression or attack that may

be suffered by Father Jose Alberto Idiaquez, S.J.

I call on the national and international human rights

organizations, the Organization of American States, the U.N.,

the European Parliament, and all Jesuit universities of the

world, the different churches, the U.S. Government, and all

of those committed to basic human dignity, to strongly

support the peaceful negotiations of a solution to the tragic

situation that the country is experiencing and demand respect

for the physical safety of all Nicaraguans who, like Father

Idiaquez, S.J., and the Bishop' Conference students, and

other members of the civil society who are participating in

the National Dialogue, are working for a lasting peace that

is borne from justice.

It is signed by Father Scott Santarosa, S.J. He is, again, the provincial of the western province.

As many of you will recall, back in 1989, a very similar threat was made against Father Ignacio Ellacuria of the UCA of El Salvador. Unfortunately, that threat ended in the death of Father Ellacuria, along with five other Jesuits at the UCA, the Central American University, as well as two lay people.

I think this is a very serious threat that our country has to take a look at and demand that steps be taken to protect the life of all Nicaraguans, and particularly the students and the rector of the Central American University, the Jesuit institution there.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Victoria ``Vicki'' Touchstone who has been named the 2018 National Wildlife Refuge System Employee of the Year.

Vicki Touchstone is a Refuge Planner for the San Diego National Wildlife Complex. The wildlife refuge protects endangered, threatened, migratory, and native species in their natural habitats during a growing urbanization of the coast. The refuge is located at the south end of San Diego and is surrounded by the cities of National City, Chula Vista, San Diego, Imperial Beach and Coronado which fall in my congressional district. In her role, she has developed important projects that have assisted and protected the wildlife populations that call the 51st Congressional District their home. In addition, she's created programs that have provided created greater public access for the community.

She has dedicated 16 years of her career to the San Diego National Wildlife Complex, completing multiple habitat restoration projects, drafted and finalized four major Comprehensive Corporations Plans for four different refuges and expanded public access.

I am told that at home she has created an oasis for turtle and tortoises that were rescued from the San Diego Turtle and Tortoise Society right in her backyard and takes her personal vacations at the annual California Trails and Greenways Conference. Her dedication to protecting wildlife in San Diego is astounding.

I would like to recognize Vicki Touchstone for her dedication to protect wildlife in my district, congratulate her being recognized as the 2018 National Wildlife Refuge System Employee of the Year and for all the work she has done to preserving wildlife in the 51st District of California.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. Victor Jaime, whom after 30 years of service, will be retiring as President of Imperial Valley College.

Dr. Victor Jaime was born and raised in the Imperial Valley. He was the first in his family to go to college and Imperial Valley College became the key to his successful career. After graduating with his associates from Imperial Valley College, he went on to attain his Bachelor's degree at UC Irvine, his Master's degree at San Diego State University, his Educational Specialist Degree at Point Loma Nazarene College, and finally his Doctorate degree in Education from Northern Arizona University. Despite all of his diplomas, the two he cherishes the most are his Doctorate, that prepared him to lead our educators and students towards a successful path; and his Associates Degree from Imperial Valley College, which helped pave the way to his mission in life.

Throughout his career, Dr. Victor Jaime, has worked in various roles such as Counselor and later Director of the Talent Search Program, Dean of Financial Aid and State Programs, Vice President for Student Services and finally Superintendent/President; all at the very college that awarded his Associate's Degree: Imperial Valley College.

Dr. Victor Jaime firmly believes that his father and grandfather were his main sources of influence and credits them for his accomplishments in academia and his career. Dr. Victor Jaime and his wife, Caroline Treadway-Jaime, have three children; two who are former Imperial Valley College students, and one who is currently at Cal State Fresno, and the grandparents of three grandchildren.

I would like to recognize Dr. Victor Jaime for his dedication and commitment to Imperial Valley and for being a champion to the community college system and leaving behind a legacy that will continue to impact the students in my district. I wish him the best of luck in his retirement.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of veterans of the United States Armed Forces who have been unceremoniously deported.

In the 1990s, the immigration law changes eliminated judicial discretion and reclassified many low-level, nonviolent offenses as aggravated felonies mandating deportation. As a result, the United States has banished an unknown number of veterans. In many cases, these were minor offenses committed by veterans who succumbed to the difficulties of readjusting to civilian life.

Many are combat veterans who sustained physical wounds and emotional trauma in conflicts going back to the war in Vietnam. This banishment effectively denies these men access to often critically needed medical care.

Regardless of immigration status, all U.S. military veterans are entitled to treatment at the Department of Veterans Affairs medical facilities, yet very few of these deported veterans are granted the necessary waivers to access the care either in the States or abroad.

In fact, most of these veterans, the only way they are going to return is in a box, dead, because they do have the right to be buried in a veterans' cemetery. Let's do the right thing and bring these veterans home so they can get the care they need.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about the recent decision made by the Trump administration to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program.

By ending the DACA program, this administration leaves 800,000 people, mostly young adults and children, without any legal protections.

DACA gives these individuals, most of whom were brought to the United States as very young children, the opportunity to work hard, study hard, sustain their families, and contribute to their communities. DACA recipients are taxpayers, they are students, they are soldiers, and they are our neighbors.

I would like to mention one DACA recipient that I know. Her name is Jacqueline. Jacqueline was brought to the United States when she was 2 years old. She excelled in school and was an Advancement Via Individual Determination--or what we call AVID--student in high school. She did very well. She was a strong candidate for admission to many of our top universities.

When DACA was announced in 2012, it helped Jacqueline come out of the shadows and pursue her educational dreams. She did exactly that, and now she is a double major. She is doing very well. DACA gave Jacqueline and her family hope for a better future. It gave her a chance at the American Dream.

By ending DACA, this administration is taking away the hopes of 800,000 DREAMers like Jacqueline and threatening their deportation to countries that are very unfamiliar to them, places they may have never known--except, of course, when they were 2--and they have no family there.

I would like to thank the religious leaders who have come forward and have urged us to do the right thing and to pass a law to allow these kids and these young adults to stay here and to participate in our community as they have been doing.

I would like to read a letter now that was written by the religious leaders here in Washington to the President.

As leaders of the three Abrahamic faiths, we look to our

sacred texts and traditions in seeking to follow the way of

peace.

Our respective teachings are clear, and we speak with one

voice when we say:

Supporting the dreams of young immigrants in the United

States is consistent with the foundational values of our

Nation and with the moral imperative of extending hospitality

to the stranger, of caring for immigrants and children, and

of loving our neighbors as ourselves.

Nearly 1 million young immigrants have benefited from the

DACA program since its inception in 2012. Among that number,

many of the program recipients are members of our respective

faith communities as well as the communities we mentor in and

around the Nation's Capital.

We have witnessed firsthand the relief and pride in our

young people's faces as they finally came to feel validated

and safe by participating in a program that made them feel

more at home--in the only country that they have ever really

considered their home.

But now anxiety and fear for their future has returned.

We note that DACA has widespread support across the country

and among politicians who agree on little else, for good

reason. DACA has dramatically improved the lives of these

young people and the communities in which they live:

Ninety-five percent of the DACA participants are working or

attend high school;

Sixty-eight percent of those working have seen their pay

increase and, thus, are paying higher taxes;

Fifty percent now have driver's licenses, which makes the

roads safer for everyone;

Fifty-four percent have purchased their first car; and

Twelve percent have purchased their first home.

Rescinding DACA would have a widespread, devastating impact

not only on a generation of industrious young people, but

also on their families, communities, and our society as a

whole.

Thus, we add our voices to those urging you, Mr. President,

to keep this policy in place until Congress puts in place a

permanent solution.

It is our collective prayer that in the coming months

congressional leaders work together to pass sensible and

comprehensive immigration reform that our country so

desperately needs, including making the DACA program

permanent.

But until that time comes, the least that our country can

do is to continue supporting our DREAMers. Keep DACA in

place, Mr. President.

Faithfully,

The Right Reverend Mariann Edgar Budde, Bishop of the

Episcopal Diocese of Washington;

Rabbi Bruce Lustig, Senior Rabbi of Washington Hebrew

Congregation;

Imam Talib M. Shareef, The Nation's Mosque;

His Eminence Donald Cardinal Wuerl, Archbishop of

Washington.

Mr. Speaker, we can do the right thing. We can pass comprehensive immigration reform, and we should. But at least we can pass DACA.

I know, Mr. Speaker, that there is goodwill on both sides. Let's come together over this and do the right thing as our community leaders and as our religious leaders are asking us.