Speaker. the gentleman from Florida has a great heart. and he indeed is my friend. and he knows that. He in his remarks indeed tugs at our heartstrings as he so eloquently quotes poetry and talks about the inscription on Lady Liberty and the men and women over the history of our country who have come to our shores seeking new opportunities. It compels me to think about and to speak about my own heritage. my maternal grandparents. my grandfather an immigrant. an Ellis Island immigrant. in the early part of the 20th century from County Roscommon in the country of Ireland. my grandmother. Ellen Heron from Scotland. These two young people met in New York City and married and started a family of five children. including one of whom is my precious mother. 88 years old today. I never knew my grandfather because he died at 25 years of age. literally working himself to death. possibly on buildings like the Twin Towers that were attacked so viciously 4 years ago where over 3.000 people were killed. and not just United States citizens. There were many foreign nationals among those 3.100. So I certainly share the compassion and the intense feeling that my good friend from Florida has with regard to our love in this country of immigrants. and we do welcome them. I am sure if my grandparents were living today. they would want to thank God that they had this opportunity to come into our great country to produce a better life for them and their children. In those days. of course. they had to be physically healthy and mentally healthy. But today. Mr. Speaker. as we all know. the times unfortunately have changed drastically. and what we are trying to do with regard to border security is not just to protect our own citizens. but protect every person who comes to this country legally seeking a better opportunity. the land of free. that they are safe to go to work. to go to school and raise their children. Mr. Speaker. that is what this legislation is all about.
Keywords matched
immigrant border security immigrants