Condemning President Trump's Decision to End DACA
Floor Speech
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to condemn in the strongest possible terms the President's decision to end the
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, also known as DACA.
This issue should be very simple. These are children who were brought here by their parents, through no fault of their own. They grew up with our kids, attended the same schools, played on the same playgrounds, and learned to drive in our neighborhoods. These kids are Americans in their hearts and in their minds, just not on paper, yet.
Beyond that, my faith, my conscience, my understanding of basic economics prevents me from supporting this cruel and inhumane decision by President Trump.
If we are to love our neighbors as ourselves, we must remember that we, too, were once strangers in a strange land. Many of us have our own immigrant stories, stories of how we became Americans.
My family's story begins like many of yours. My great-grandfather, Metro, was born in Austria in 1881, and my great-grandmother, Margaret Skrutt, was born in Ukraine in 1882. They got married and knew that they could find a better life in America; so, in 1906, they took a chance and came to America, arriving on November 1, 1906.
They settled in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, because other Ukrainians already lived there. They joined the community, worked hard, went to church, raised a family of Americans, including my grandmother, Anna Guryesh.
My great-grandparents' story is the story of America. It is the story of immigration and immigrant families dreaming of a better life and making America great.
It is the same story repeated 24 years later when Mary Anne McLeod boarded the Transylvania in Glasgow on May 2, 1930. Nine days later, she arrived in New York with $50 in her pocket. Eighty-six years later, her son was elected President of the United States of America.
At the age of seven, a young woman left Cuba, fleeing communism. In 1989, she became the first Latina elected to Congress, and it is a privilege to serve with her.
Melania Knavs was born in Slovenia. She first became a permanent resident, and then a citizen of the United States. This young lady, born in southeastern Slovenia, now lives in northwest D.C. as the First Lady of the United States of America.
Daniel, one of my constituents who I helped with his DACA status: He works hard, pays his taxes, loves this country, his country, as much as any other American.
So many great Americans are Americans by choice, not by birth. This has made America the greatest, strongest, wealthiest country in the world. We can attract the best, the brightest, the most driven and the most talented.
People like Dr. Elizabeth Stern was born in Kansas, but, in 1915, became an American. She drove forward our ability to detect and treat cancer.
Author Ayn Rand, a favorite of the Speaker, was born in 1905 in Russia, and came to the United States in 1926.
Actress Natalie Portman, born in 1981 in Jerusalem, came to the U.S. as a toddler.
Alonso Guillen was born in Mexico but died last week as an American hero working to save lives during Hurricane Harvey.
At the last Olympics, Americans born in places like Australia, Kenya, and Poland brought home nine medals, including two gold for the United States.
Their stories are all the same. They came to America seeking a better life and a better future. They contributed to our society and our culture. They made America great.
Margaret and Metro's story is America's story. America's story is Mary Anne's story and Daniel's story. This is the story of us, the story of America. It is a story that no President's pen can erase. America's story is Melania's, Ayn's, and the story of Albert. We are America, and we are here to stay. No matter where you were born, we are America, and we are here to stay. No matter what language you speak to your mom in, we are America, and we are here to stay. We are America, and we are here to stay because America's story is our story.
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