Speech #1090118232

Mr. Speaker. I rise today to echo what the vast majority of Members of Congress believe: Our country is in need of a solution to address the influx of undocumented immigrants into the United States. I would also like to enter into the RECORD a Wall Street Joumal editorial advocating for amnesty. a letter signed by esteemed Members of Congress calling for orderly. legal venues for new immigrants and earned legalization for those in the United States and an opinion piece by Cardinal Archbishop Roger Mahoney of Los Angeles explaining his archdioceses stand against proposed legislation that would penalize social and religious organizations that help undocumented immigrants. This Nation was founded by immigrants fleeing religious persecution. Ironically. today this country has evolved to one that persecutes undocumented immigrants who. like our forefathers. came here searching for a better quality of life. Upon arrival. if undocumented immigrants are so lucky to cross the border alive and evade exploitation by drug smugglers and coyotes. they are forced to live in the shadows without access to health care or employment benefits at a job that pays little salary. In fear of detection by law enforcement. they cannot live normal lives. This is an unjust burden imposed to persons who are welcomed with open arms into this country by U.S. employers to perform unskilled labor. As George Melloan states in his opinion piece. "The U.S. needs labor. immigrants supply labor. So the solution is to find ways to bring the two together in some legal. orderly way." While it is true that this country is suffering from astronomically high deficits. the American entrepreneurial spirit drives an economy that embraces cheap labor. There is no reason to believe that the labor demand will subside and as a result immigrants will continue to be attracted to employment opportunities here. We in turn will continue to depend on immigrant labor to harvest our crops. tend to our gardens. clean our homes and offices and even take care of our children. We cannot deny that immigrant labor is vital to our economy. As leaders of this Nation. we also have a moral obligation to those within our borders. Undocumented immigrants have suffered sufficient hardship to arrive here and are forced to lead secret lives to put food on the tables. This cannot continue. As Cardinal Archbishop Mahoney eloquently states in his piece. providing humanitarian assistance to those most in need. such as undocumented immigrants should not be a crime. as is stipulated in H.R. 4437. This bill so vaguely proposes punishing those who offer aid to undocumented immigrants. that it would penalize acts of mercy such as offering a meal or administering first aid. I admire Cardinal Archbishop Mahoneys stand for instructing priests not to follow the proposed law. I can only hope similar conviction will be found in Members of Congress as they oppose such legislation. Mr. Speaker. please join me in agreeing that the only way to right the wrong endured by undocumented immigrants is to take them out of the shadows and offer them a way to achieve citizenship. As Melloan states. this is the "only practical solution." [From the Wall Street Journal. Mar. 21. 2006]