American Dream and Promise Act of 2021

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, there is a crisis at the border. There has been a crisis at the border for weeks. And instead of addressing the crisis, instead of having a hearing in the committee, Democrats have passed bills that defund the police, restrict Americans' Second Amendment liberties, and federalize election law. And not one of those bills--by the way, not one of those bills went through committee.

In fact, the Judiciary Committee--74 days of this Congress, the full Judiciary Committee has yet to have a hearing on anything. We have asked to have a hearing on the border crisis, the real crisis. We asked to have a hearing on cancel culture, the attack on peoples' First Amendment liberties. We asked to have a hearing on conservatorships. No full committee hearing this entire Congress, but they can pass bills to defund the police, restrict Americans' Second Amendment liberties, Federalize election law. And now, while there is a crisis on the border, they bring a bill to the floor that gives amnesty to 3 million illegal aliens.

Seventy-four days of the 117th Congress, the Democrats have taken away the Republicans' right to offer a motion to recommit; they have kicked Marjorie Taylor Greene off a committee; two Democrats wrote a letter trying to cancel ``Fox News,'' ``Newsmax,'' and ``One America News.'' The Democratic chair of the House Administration Committee compiled a dossier on 140 Republican Members, and they are preparing to steal an election from Republican Congresswoman Miller-Meeks.

And today, they are going to pass a bill--try to pass a bill which, as I said before, gives amnesty to 3 million illegal immigrants. We have got gang members crossing the border. We have got people whose name is on the terrorist watch list crossing the border. We have got COVID positive illegals crossing the border.

We have had 100,000 encounters with foreigners on the border in February alone. Housing illegal immigrants in the Dallas Convention Center; the administration sending FEMA in to help. Even though they refuse to call the crisis a crisis, they are sending in the disaster agency to help with the situation. If that is not a crisis, frankly, I don't know what one is.

A crisis that President Trump, 2 months ago, told us was coming. I want to read what President Trump said in January. Two months ago, this is what President Trump said: ``If our border security measures are reversed, it will trigger a tidal wave of illegal immigration, a wave like you've never seen before.'' Boy was that accurate.

If our border security measures are reversed. What has the Biden administration done? They placed a moratorium on deportation, they ended the Remain in Mexico program, and they have stopped building the wall. I think that is a reversal. I think that is a reversal of the measures that were put in place. What did it trigger? A tidal wave of illegal immigration, a wave like you have never seen before. It sure did. The tidal wave is here, and the Democrats' answer is amnesty. Wow. Such a deal for the American people. Such a deal for the American taxpayer.

Democrats answer: Defund the police, attack Second Amendment liberties of Americans, federalize election law, try to cancel ``Fox News,'' ``Newsmax,'' ``One America News,'' compile a dossier on Republicans, kick one congresswoman off of her committees, and try to take an election from another, all while they are creating a crisis on the border, and then respond to it all with, what? A bill that gives amnesty to 3 million illegal immigrants. That is what this legislation does today.

Mr. Speaker, I hope we vote ``no.'' I hope we can stop this legislation. This is not what the American people bargained for. This is not common sense, and I hope we defeat this measure.

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Mr. JORDAN. Mr. Speaker, I would just point out that the majority leader is not accurate in what he said. Republicans, 2 years ago, had bills that were much more comprehensive than what the Democrats are bringing to the floor this week. We had a bill that dealt with merit- based immigration, E-Verify, added workers to enforcement border security. It is just not accurate to say our plan was not comprehensive. We had two bills, as the Republican leader mentioned.

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Mr. JORDAN. Mr. Speaker, I will just point out, I was at the border 2 years ago, the Rio Grande; Mr. Roy was at the border last week; Mr. McCarthy was at the border this week. The previous speaker, Mr. Speaker, said that Republicans didn't come when she invited. We have all been down there and seen what goes on. Just this week, we have been down there to see the current crisis.

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Mr. JORDAN. Van Duyne).

Ms. VAN DUYNE. Mr. Speaker, the crisis at the border is astounding in its scale, as thousands of illegal immigrants, enabled by drug cartels and human traffickers, enter the country on a daily basis, many of them unaccompanied minors, untested for COVID-19. Yet our colleagues across the aisle accuse us of using this crisis at the border as an excuse. Context matters and policies have consequences.

This is a surge at levels we have never seen before, and it is a direct reaction to the Biden administration dispensing with numerous measures which protected our southern border.

Yet, it is another day of political theater today on the House floor and another set of bills without any real debate.

In addition to the lackluster effort here in Congress, our President needs to enforce our laws. I and 20 of my colleagues from Texas recently urged the Texas Attorney General to hold the President's feet to the fire and enforce the laws, such as Title 42.

The President can use whatever language he wants to to describe what is happening on our southern border, but his reckless policies are creating a disastrous situation for Texans, putting our health and safety in grave jeopardy.

Today could have been an opportunity for real debate and to send a message that this manufactured crisis needs to stop and make true reforms to our immigration system, yet that could not be further from the truth.

It is obvious we have a broken immigration system, but Democrats' flagrant disregard of laws to appease the far left is dangerous and out of touch with the challenges real Americans are facing right now. Ignoring laws, such as Title 42, denying a border crisis, that is not leadership, and Texans know better than to take that sitting down.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this bill.

Mr. BISHOP of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, the American people are a generous people, instinctively drawn to the idea of amnesty. It is a fine word, ``amnesty.'' It means a general pardon for offenses, an act of forgiveness for past offenses.

Of course, in the immigration arena, amnesty means not only pardon or forgiveness for violating our laws, but also a grant of important rights; ultimately, the privilege of citizenship. Sometimes that important distinction can be overlooked.

But what is particularly despicable in the present legislation is that Democrats exploit that fundamental spirit of generosity by misleading the American people about the scope of the proposed amnesty, its recipients, and its implications.

They would have you believe that this legislation responds to those President Obama dubbed Dreamers. In the gentlewoman from California's description, it is a 17-year-old who worked hard and became a model student and quarterback on the high school football team who doesn't even remember the time before he lived in the United States.

But this bill is not the Dream Act. Rather, it crushes the dreams of American workers. It is not for only 641,000 active DACA recipients. In this bill, Democrats want to provide amnesty for more than 2.9 million illegal immigrants, including even people who entered the United States illegally by January 1, 2021, just over 2 months ago, and all at a time when our unemployment rate is over 6 percent and working Americans are the hardest-pressed by the economic impacts of Democrats' affinity for lockdowns.

This bill also allows dangerous criminals and gang members to gain amnesty benefits, even if they have been convicted of multiple misdemeanors. If this bill is signed into law, adults from Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Somalia, Liberia, and Venezuela will receive amnesty.

This body should be prioritizing relief for American citizens, not illegal immigrants. I urge my colleagues to reject this misleading rhetoric and this dangerous bill.

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Mr. JORDAN. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Garcia).

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Mr. JORDAN. Madam Speaker, may I inquire as to the amount of time remaining for each side.
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Mr. JORDAN. Madam Speaker, I will tell you what this bill does. Page 51, section 310: ``Grant program to assist eligible applicants. The Secretary shall establish, within U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services, a program to award grants.''

So while there is a disaster on the border, so much so that we have to send FEMA there, this bill not only gives amnesty to illegals, it uses American tax dollars to help the illegals apply for amnesty.

Such a deal for the American taxpayer. That is what this legislation does. That is what this bill is about.

At a time when we have chaos on the border, this bill gives amnesty to 3 million illegals and uses American tax dollars to help those same illegals apply for the amnesty. I mean, the disrespect that the Democrats have for the American taxpayer is astounding to me. It is truly astounding.

I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Herrell).
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Mr. JORDAN. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Meuser).
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Mr. JORDAN. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter).

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Mr. JORDAN. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Pfluger).

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Mr. JORDAN. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Stauber).
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Mr. JORDAN. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Arrington).

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Mr. JORDAN. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. McClain).

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Mr. JORDAN. Madam Speaker, if we adopt the motion to recommit, we will instruct the Committee on the Judiciary to consider the amendment to H.R. 6 to ensure that gang members do not receive any benefits under the underlying bill and are swiftly removed from the country.
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Mr. JORDAN. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Hice).

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Mr. JORDAN. Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from Georgia.

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Mr. JORDAN. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Scalise), the distinguished whip.

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Mr. JORDAN. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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Mr. JORDAN. Madam Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

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Mr. JORDAN. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

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