Our Broken Immigration System

Floor Speech

Ms. MOORE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to implore you and the House majority to reach across the aisle to find common ground, to reach out their hands to fix our broken immigration system.

Last summer, Republicans and Democrats in the Senate came together and passed comprehensive immigration reform with a strong bipartisan vote, a vote of 68-32. That is like a super-duper majority. In fact, one poll last month showed that 63 percent of Americans--two-thirds of Americans--support a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. Business leaders, chambers of commerce, labor unions, faith groups, immigrant families, law enforcement officials, and Americans of every race, creed, color, and ethnicity all across our country applauded our Senators for reaching across the aisle. For many, it really gave hope and a belief in our government that we are still capable of putting aside political posturing and of building consensus around the difficult issues that face our country.

But today, as I speak, Americans are asking: What happened? They are confused as to why the House of Representatives can't do the same thing that the Senate did and pass immigration reform. They are even more confused as to why the House can't even dignify the issue with a simple up-or-down vote.

Those people have not gone away, Mr. Speaker. Oh, no. In fact, today, the call to action is still as loud and clear as it has ever been.

Just yesterday, I visited the Fast for Families movement on The National Mall, where faith leaders had actually been fasting for 22 days--22 days with no food. Some were hospitalized to safely break the fast per the doctor's orders, but others pressed on. Replacement fasters stepped up, including our own Representative Kennedy, who, in the legacy of his grandfather, Bobby, acknowledged the need to embrace the immigrant issue.

So I ask my colleagues in the majority, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle: What are we waiting for? Our job creators want reform. Our workforce wants it, and our spiritual leaders say it is the right thing to do. Overwhelmingly, so do the American people.

The facts are so clear that reform will tremendously benefit all of our country. In fact, the Congressional Budget Office has followed the money, and it estimates that immigration reform will increase the gross domestic product by $700 billion in 2023 and by $1.4 trillion in 2033; but here we are today, facing government shutdowns and sequester levels that eviscerate services that so many vulnerable Americans rely on.

This is where we are stuck. It has been 5 months since the Senate passed its bill; yet we have only 6 days scheduled until the end of the year, and we haven't had one serious vote on immigration reform. Americans have put their differences aside for the common good of our country, and they expect us to do the same thing in this, our beloved democracy.

Once again, I want to reiterate that I stand here, ready to work with my colleagues on the other side of the aisle in order to move our country forward. I applaud my brave colleagues on the other side who have already taken a stand and have put politics aside, and I encourage more of my colleagues to answer that calling and meet us halfway.

The American people are fed up with the status quo and gridlock here in Washington. Let's come together and strengthen our businesses, our economy, our workforce, and our families.

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