JAYAPAL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to the cruel
immigration proposal unveiled by the White House this week. This
proposal goes beyond some of the worst immigration bills. It demands
billions more for border security, tightens asylum standards, cuts off
legal immigration, and implements a faulty points-based system,
undercutting our core values as a country and destroying our economy
and our future. Mr. Speaker, two-thirds of all immigrants to the United States are
women and children, and these policies will disproportionately hurt
them. A points-based system eliminates family-based immigration, and it
is insulting to the valuable contributions of women, especially. Nearly 70 percent of all women immigrants with legal status obtained
it through the family system, and many are stuck in visa backlogs
waiting years and even decades to reunite with their families. Mr. Speaker, immigration has never been just about immigration. It
has always been about who we are as a country and what we are willing
to stand up for. I believe the majority of my Republican colleagues
want to pass the Dream Act, and I ask them to join us in rejecting
these anti-immigrant poison pills and proposing real solutions that
benefit the American people and unify our country.
Keywords matched
immigration visa immigrants anti-immigrant border security