American Dream and Promise Act of 2019

Floor Speech

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Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of this legislation.

Let me thank Speaker Pelosi, Chairman Nadler, Chairwoman Lofgren, Lucille Roybal-Allard, and Yvette Clarke for all their work on this legislation.

Today, because of Donald Trump's anti-immigration policies, millions of immigrants across the country live in constant fear that they will face deportation and potentially be separated from their families. Among these immigrant communities are recipients of TPS, or temporary protected status, or DED, deferred enforced departure.

The portions of this bill I authored say, if you have been here in the U.S. for 3 years and have been here since January 2017, then you can apply for legal permanent residence and, from there, pursue citizenship.

When we talk about our TPS and DED populations, we are talking about some of our most vulnerable neighbors. These are people who fled natural disasters or political violence. They came here with the heartfelt belief that the words inscribed at the base of the Statue of Liberty, ``Give me . . . your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,'' are not a hollow tourist attraction.

Those words are a sacred American compact, etched into the character of our Nation. And, today, as we launch Immigrant Heritage Month, House Democrats are going to prove to the Dreamers, TPS recipients, and those in the DED program the words on the base of the statue are a promise we will honor.

Madam Speaker, those in the TPS community are our neighbors. The average TPS recipient has been in the Nation for two decades, and almost a third arrived in the U.S. younger than age 18; they have built entire lives here, many have American-born children.

Deporting them will be cruel; it will be inhumane; it will cause enormous economic disruption; and it would not be the America that we love and that we know. We cannot let that happen.

For these reasons, I urge my colleagues to do what they know is right. Vote ``yes'' on this bill. Let's send a strong message to the world that we recognize that immigrants make America America.

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