Mr. Speaker. I rise today to commend Mayte Ibarra and Larissa Martinez. two undocumented valedictorians from Texas. for their academic achievement and bravery amid the antiimmigrant rhetoric that was wielded their way. Mayte and Larissas educational excellence is living proof of the American Dream. No matter what your immigration status may be. if you work hard and dream. anything is possible. Their determination and academic success. despite the personal obstacles that were in front of them. helped get them into the University of Texas and Yale. Larissas valedictorian speech reminds us of how important immigration reform is. I want to read you a quote. "The most important part of the immigration debate and the part most often overlooked is the fact that immigrants. undocumented or otherwise. are people too. They are people with dreams. aspirations. hopes. and loved ones." We should all take this message to heart. Mr. Speaker. no matter what your political background may be. We can no longer ignore the antiimmigrant rhetoric that we hear today. Instead. lets praise Larissa and Maytes academic success and work to remove barriers to prevent any hardworking student from achieving the American Dream.
Keywords matched
antiimmigrant undocumented immigrants immigration