Speech #1130121418

It was. at the time. a new place. named after the first nonIndian to see the Las Vegas valleyRafael Rivera. I have a painting in my office that reflects that. So we went to that center. and I can remember so clearly these mostly women crying over the fact that their husbands had lost their jobs. they were being deported. and they had little American boys and girls there with them. These were boys and girls who had been born in the United States. I thought. gee. that is terrible. I mean the suffering and the sadness. I have never forgotten that. and that is one of the main reasons I have worked so hard on immigration reform. In light of the Republicans inaction. and our action and our advocacy of this issue. it seems to me what the President said at his State of the Union Address is really applicable here. Here is what he said: If the Republicans continue to do nothing. I am going to be forced as the President of the United States to do something by Executive order. And I am glad. I am glad he is going. in the next couple of days for sure. to use his constitutionally established authority to fix as much of our broken immigration system as is possible. He told everybody he was going to do it in his State of the Union and he has waited and waited and nothing has happened. Some Republicans are threatening to shut down the government. They have done it once before. so I guess we should take their threat seriously. They want to shut down the government because of what the President said he is going to do and what he is going to do. But this isnt about the Republicans and President Obama. this is about where the Republicans stand with the immigrant community. My fatherinlaw. my wifes dad. was an immigrant. He was born in Russia. He came to the United States to escape the oppression in Russia. So this whole issue is about how Republicans stand with the immigrant community. The immigrant community is what has made this country what it is. Those who will come forward under this Executive action the President is going to take are. with rare exception. hardworking immigrant dads and moms who are supporting their families. They came to America for the same reasons early immigrants came to America. just like my fatherinlaw. Earl Gould. did. By the way. he changed his name when he came to the United States. He came here as Israel Goldfarb. and he changed his name. as many immigrants have done. As my fatherinlaw did. the people who are going to come here under this Executive order can build a better life for themselves and their families. They have deep ties in America. They work hard. As I have indicated. they have spouses and children. Under our broken immigration system. there is no line for these people to get into. no process for them to sign up for. and no way to remedy this situation. They are in limbo. They are in the shadows. They are in darkness. President Obama. fortunately. is going to do something to give them just that. a line to come forward. a line that he recognizes must be done to get the system started. We cant give these people their green cards and put them on the path to citizenship immediately. Only Congress can and must finish the job in overhauling and rewriting these laws. I want to be clear that Executive action is important. but it is not a substitute for legislation. and the Speaker should understand that.