Congress Needs to Act on Immigration Reform

Floor Speech

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Ms. GARCIA of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act of 2023, scheduled for a vote on the House floor today.

This bill is extreme and wrong. This bill in no way secures the border. In fact, it would only make security worse.

It is an assault on asylum seekers and those who flee poverty, hunger, and violence, including unaccompanied minors and families with children. It exploits challenges on our border for political points. It adds to the human suffering of those who come to our country seeking safety and a better life. It is also about putting politics over people.

We all expect our government to effectively manage our borders and thoroughly vet those who seek to enter as refugees, to join their family already in the country, or to work. We all agree on that.

Instead, what we see is children are in danger, families are separated or detained, and people are dying.

We need reform and we need it now.

The last time Congress passed immigration reform was in 1996, 27 years ago. This Republican-led bill eliminates several legal immigration pathways, essentially making fewer people eligible for legal status while making more people deportable.

Mr. Speaker, this bill is extreme and wrong. Again, session after session, we talk about reform but nothing ever passes, not a single immigration law update, again, since 1996.

Time and time again, Republicans block meaningful legislation for safe and legal immigration from moving beyond this floor. Our job as public officials is to serve and protect our constituents, but we have been failing them for 27 years.

House Republicans focus solely on immigration as a border issue, providing billions of dollars in so-called border security, building walls, increasing personnel, and rapid expulsion policies. That hasn't worked, has it?

The promised security involves a militarized border, wasting the taxpayers' money, and increased violence for those seeking asylum.

Since 1988, at least 8,000 undocumented immigrants have died attempting to cross the border from Mexico to the United States. People are dying every day while we wait on Republicans to budge.

While rightwing media and extreme MAGA Republicans call immigrants ``illegals,'' seeking asylum is a legal right. It is in our immigration law. They are following the law. This law and this right would be denied to thousands under this bill.

The administration and Congress must act. Again, this bill is simply extreme and wrong and does nothing to secure our border.

Meanwhile, we continue to see the violence at the border and violence in my home State of Texas. I was born and raised in South Texas. I am not from Long Island or Boston or somewhere else talking about the border. I am from South Texas. I am talking about our South Texas border.

Over the weekend, it was heartbreaking to see that 8 people were killed and 10 injured when a vehicle was driven into a group of people waiting in line at a migrant shelter in south Texas.

We all know that there will be a surge of migrants coming in as of tonight, and cities like Brownsville, where this occurred, are preparing. We are preparing in Houston because we know we will get some of the impact, too.

We must keep in mind that since migrants will no longer have the protections they have been afforded in the past--this bill will eliminate all that. People are losing their lives as they wait, even at this shelter. People are losing their lives on their way over.

Now more than ever, safe and legal immigration reform is necessary. We must protect all God's children. We must always put people over politics and rhetoric.

Now more than ever, we need safe and legal immigration reform. Now more than ever, we cannot wait another moment.

Mr. Speaker, I oppose this bill and ask my colleagues to do the same.

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