Immigration Reform

Floor Speech

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Mr. TAKANO. I thank the gentleman from Colorado for yielding time.

The issue of immigration reform is a top priority for our Nation and rightly so. It will not only help our economy grow, but it will also help families stay together.

I was taken aback earlier today when Speaker Boehner said that the Republican-controlled House has ``no intention of ever going to conference on the Senate immigration bill.''

That is clearly at odds with what the American people want and what the American people need.

I just want to recount a bit of my own history.

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Mr. TAKANO. I believe so. Just bring it directly to the floor. We can bring that Senate bill directly to the floor and let the House work its will.

The topic of our Special Order had to do with immigration reform in the military and veterans.

I recount a very poignant part of my own family's history. All of my grandparents, both my parents were interned during World War II without trial in Japanese American internment camps.

Despite this great injustice, many children of these immigrants, young men, volunteered for military service. They fought in the 100th Infantry, in the 442nd, suffered some of the greatest casualties, and were most recently awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for their service. These were young men who wanted to demonstrate their loyalty to this country and were given an opportunity to fight for our country. I think it is tragic that young DREAMers under deferred action are not allowed to serve the country that they love, where the language of English is mainly the language they speak, and the culture they know is that of our country, America.

Just like the men of the World War II generation, Japanese Americans who fought for this country and all Japanese American fighting units, I believe that the children of immigrants today want that opportunity.

Over the past few months, I have received hundreds of letters from residents in my district, letters from business owners, husbands, wives, and perhaps even most distressing, children. One letter I received is from a local teenager who wrote to me about her mother who will likely be deported back to Mexico in 2015. She said:

It is going to be very hard to bring her back to California. Her four kids need her back. She is a single mother. She is the only person we have close to us.

Another letter I received said:

My stepfather's mother died of heart problems, so he had to go back to Mexico to her funeral. He was there for a couple of days, and when he tried to come home, it was hard for him to come back over to California. It has been a while since we have seen him. My mom misses him terribly. She cries every time she talks to him on the phone. It has been 2 months since he left to Mexico, which probably means he lost his job. He is the main provider for our family. This is very stressful and hard on my mom because she is not able to pay the bills. It is hard for her to support us and be strong at the same time. I hate to see her suffer and be sad all the time. Families should not be ripped apart like this. Other families should not have to go through what my family is going through.

Madam Speaker, these are letters from children whose families are being ripped apart.

I also received a letter from a wife and a mother saying:

I myself am one of those many families that unfortunately have to go through this injustice. My husband was deported on his way to work about 3 years ago, and during these few years, it has been really hard for my new 5-year-old daughter and me. The stress I go through every day is unhealthy, and, unfortunately, my daughter has to go through it, as well. My daughter really wants to be with her father, and it really hurts to see her go through this situation.

These are American families that we can help by passing immigration reform.

The last letter I would like to read is from one of the largest employers in my district, the Blue Banner Company, a grower and shipper of California citrus. They wrote to me and detailed the difficulties of a recent crop of theirs when they faced a 30 percent to 35 percent labor shortage. Because of the labor shortage, less fruit was harvested from the trees in a timely manner. Because the fruit was harvested not at peak time, it was sent to be juiced instead of sold fresh for eating by consumers. This resulted in a total loss for their growers of $3.4 million to $3.8 million.

The letter goes on to say:

We, California agriculture, desperately need a legal workforce from which to hire.

Reforming our immigration system will help businesses such as Blue Banner by providing a workforce that is ready and willing to work. Let's pass immigration reform and help families stay together and help businesses obtain the workers they need.

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