Fostering Undergraduate Talent By Unlocking Resources for Education Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of the NO BAN Act.

I remember when the Muslim ban was first implemented in January 2017, I went to JFK Airport with Chairman Nadler to demand the release of travelers being detained there. One of them was an Iraqi translator who had risked his life working for the U.S. Army in Iraq. His reward was being caught up in this hateful Trump administration policy.

At the airport that day, I saw two Americas: Inside the airport was an America characterized by prejudice, weakness, and fear; but outside, where thousands gathered to oppose this hateful policy, I saw the America I know, an America of strength and compassion.

Madam Speaker, today, as we vote on this bill, we are being asked to choose between these two visions. We can choose a weak, bigoted America that says there is no place for our Muslim brothers and sisters or for Black people, or we can choose an America that lives up to its highest ideals, that welcomes those from around the world seeking a better life.

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