tv Key Capitol Hill Hearings CSPAN August 2, 2014 12:00am-2:01am EDT
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mr. smith: we have a humanitarian crisis on the border in our country. not this bill nor the next bill on daca does anything to address it. these children are fleeing unimaginable violence, fleing a life they can no longer bear. it's not a problem of border security. these children are turning themselves in. they are simply fleeing the violence in their home countries. and they're not just coming to the united states. belize and coast -- and costa rica and other countries have seen an uptick from guatemala, el sal vacor and honduras because of violence there. instead of dealing with this, we have a bill that's hopelessly inadequate in terms of fund, we will not provide enough judges and enough funding to give these children the due process they deserve. worse than that, we're stripping them of any rights and any protections by sending them back as wick i -- as quickly as possible without the due process this house voted for in 2008, signed by president bush that gave these children the due process they deserve, and then we're going
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one step further, to undermine the ability to have children who were brought into this country, through no fault of their own, the dreamers that we have long supported, and we are tell toing them that now they won't be allowed to stay in this country. this is a humanitarian crisis, not a border security issue. i urge us to vote down both of these piece of legislation. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from new york reserves. the gentleman from kentucky is recognized. mr. rogers: i yield two minutes to the chairman of the agriculture subcommittee on appropriations. the speaker pro tempore: the -- mr. rogers: the gentleman from alabama, mr. aderholt. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. aderholt: thank you, mr. chairman, mr. speaker. it's been discussed throughout the debate this afternoon and this theavepk we do face an unprecedented humanitarian emergency with literally thousands of unaccompanied alien children crossing our southwest border monthly. a number that has more than doubled since the last year. it's been said by some that
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it's due to president obama's mixed messages and administration's unwillingness to enforce the law, but regardless of what the reason is, we have a crisis that is growing. the bill that's before us this evening represents a simple, measured approach to the crisis at the border. it is not comprehensive immigration reform. rather it focuses on fixing the issues within the context of the law. issues that have fueled the influx of these children. it also streamlines the process to ensure that those who are not eligible for asylum are quickly and safely repatriated to their families. while at the same time, it adds protection to make sure that children who have been trafficked are generally in need of asylum, get that protection they need. like many of my colleagues, i appreciate the leadership's willingness to listen and address these matters in this bill before us, and i think we've all come together and done a great job to craft this
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legislation. i believe this now provides the necessary and appropriate language needed to move forward and address the crisis we are seeing. i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from alabama yields back. the gentleman from kentucky reserves. the jerusalem from new york is recognized. -- the gentlewoman from new ork is recognized. mrs. lowey: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kentucky is recognized. mr. rogers: i yield one minute to the gentleman from iowa, mr. king. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. king: i want to first thank all the people who work sod hard to put this language together. it makes me feel good to see the team that's done system of but i think there's a misunderstanding as to what happened with how we got to this o.t.m. language, wilber forest language that's current law -- wilber force language
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that's current law -- wilberforce language that's curn law that we're seeking to change. there was a law in 2007 called wilberforce. it had two provisions. one is if you violated federal law you were exempt from the provisions that would have been beneficial to an unaccompanied child and the other was if you were a threat to national security. those provisions were taken out, a new bill introdunesd december 9, 2008. the next day was the last day of the session. we all put up our last votes, we left the capitol and headed for the airport, there was a unanimous consent request that was called -- they tchailed bill up, asked unanimous consent to discharge it from committee, called the bill up, passed it voice here on the house, sent it over to the senate where they took the lateral, they passed it by voice to the president of the united states. no republican voted for this bill. this is a bill that is the foundational excuse for the president and this is what we're trying to fix here tonight and i yield back.
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the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from iowa yields back. the gentleman from kentucky reserves. the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. mrs. lowey: mr. speaker, as we close this debate, i'd like to address my remarks to our distinguished chairman with whom i have worked for quite a while and just once again i would like to say, this bill deserves a no vote and i look forward to working with you in a bipartisan way to pass a real , comprehensive immigration reform bill and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from new york yields back. the gentleman from kentucky is recognized. mr. rogers: mr. speaker, this is a fair bill. it solves a crisis on our border. it does so in a financially safe way, responsible way. it strengthens the border.
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it humanely treats those who are in our custody now. and arranges for them to be humanely returned to their home families, where the presidents of the three countries told us, we want these children back. and so this bill will do that. >> the house considered a bill that would change how immigrant children weren't aborted -- children were deported. the bill passed. 5272 prohibits federal funding or resources from being used to adjude case any application for the president's deferred action for child -- to adjudicate any application for the president's deferred action this ild, or daca program bill differs from the bill the house was set to consider
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yesterday in that it prohibits funds from being used for adjudication. the prior version of this bill was a simple prohibition on the president's actions. according to u.s. citizenship and immigration services director leon rod refwezz, the president's deferred action -- rodriguez, the president's deferred action for childhood arrivals program has already allowed over 714,000 unlawful immigrants who claim to have arrived as minors to remain in the united states and seek employment. daca is a major -- is a major reason for the unprecedented influx of my no, sir and family units along our southern border this deferred action program was announced by the president and the secretary of the department of homeland security n june 15, 2012. it is a jew surpation of the plennary authority -- it is a usurpation of the plenary
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authority that is confered on the legislative branch and the president knows this. in march of 2011, he stated, with respect to the notion that i can just suspend deportations through executive order, that's just not the case. because there are laws on the books that congress has passed. the executive branch's job is to enforce and implement those laws. there are enough laws on the books by congress that are very clear in terms of how we have to enforce our immigration system that for me to simply, through executive order, ignore these congressional mandates would not conform with my appropriate role is president. the president implemented the daca program and today it stands as a beacon for any unlawful immigrant to cross into the united states illegally because word has gotten out because they have been given
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permission to stay. i have heard it from immigrants when i visited the rio grande valley earlier this month. let's be clear, the president's policies abandonning immigration enforcement continue to encouragement unlawful parents to smuggle their children into the united states. these policies and promises put money directly into the pockets of human smuggling and drug cartels and put children at risk. and they undermine the constitutional principles that congress creates the laws and the president is bound to enforce them. it sends the vitally important message that minors tempted to come here will no longer be rewarded by a president who uses his pen and cell phone to
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legislate. they will have no opportunity to receive daca benefits. thank the gentlewoman from tennessee, ms. blackburn and i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. mr. conyers: i yield myself two minutes. 72, ongly oppose h.r. 25 this is one of the most mean-spirited and anti-immigrant pieces of legislation i have seen in all of my years in the congress. . now, the main reason is of course it would unfairly harm current and future dream-act kids. the majority have been clear about their intent with this
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bill. no dreamers. this legislation is designed to prevent young people who have lived here most of their lives and are members of our communities from benefiting from deferred action. it would foreclose the administration from focusing on resources from identifying and removing criminals and gang members from our communities and even worse the legislation would mean that the hundreds of thousands of young people who already benefited from deferred action who are contributing to our economy, participating in an conomies and obtaining education could be deported in less than two years and the united states catholic conference of bishops and the american civil liberties union
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have already registered their strong opposition to the bill. i'm confident there are many more who would oppose this legislation because it seeks to roll back protections supported by civil rights' organizations, religious organizations, colleges, labor unions and national education and national organizations. mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from virginia. mr. goodlatte: i would yield to the the gentleman from texas and i yield to the gentleman from texas. mr. gohmert: thank you very much, mr. chairman. there is a section in the bill that we passed that the attorney general who is currently under contempt of congress will
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appoint the 40 new immigration judges established in the bill, a number of us have a problem with that and i know that concerns you. i believe you have agreed to work on a solution going forward and attempt to craft a solution that would be acceptable? mr. goodlatte: that is correct. and i will work with the chairman to remedy that problem. mr. gohmert: thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from michigan. mr. conyers: i'm now pleased to the gentleman from it
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mr. - jam from illinois, guteier ezz for two minutes. mr. gutierrez: how did we get here. republicans are taking away the dack after program and in november of 2012, the republicans were sureshot with asian vote ears. i was working with same johnson nd representative carter and i worked with my mike coffman and in my own state of illinois. but now steve king, michele bachmann and senator cruise are writing a script. it demonize children.
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in january, you were saying all of the dreamers should get green quards and citizenship. now late on a friday night you are going after the dreamers who ave known any country but this one. they sign up with the department of homeland security. and pass f.b.i. checks so they can get right with the law. and now republicans are saying they should go back in the shadows back to the life of fear where opportunities are few and futures are uncertain. and the winner was president obama and the dreamers and the american people. you want to take that away. thank gdness the senate is gone and this will never become law. is there no one in your conference who can stand up and talk sensibly and deport the
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dreamers who live in our neighborhoods across neighborhood. you are frozen in the fear of your own voters and the colleagues. onlt cowards and only those who are a shamed of themselves do it in the night of a friday. you are not strong enough to stand up and craft solutions to american problems. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. > and here is the problem. let's summit up. mr. conyers: i give the gentleman 30 seconds. the end the : in republican position can be summed up as deport them all. and deport them all.
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most of you the approach of deport them all is nonsense and you know it is suicide as a political strategy you but you continue to say deport them all. shame on those who will not stand up for those on the children of the border and the children who live to us. say no to this bill. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia. >> this bill does not deport anyone, this bill is a program that violates the united states constitution. so now, mr. speaker, i yield two minutes to the gentleman from kentucky, mr. barrr. mr. barrow: thank you for your excellent work on this important legislation. the u.s. house of representatives has passed with my support a strong border bill
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and i rise in support of this second reform bill that would if enacted would address the humanitarian and national security crisis that has developed along the southern border of the united states. this crisis that will result in 90,000 unacopped children entering the united states illegally representing a 1,381% increase since 2009 was entirely caused by the administration's failure to secure the border. and the program which invited illegal e in immigration. the action is a serious and bold response to president obama's failure to secure the border and ensure that the laws are executed. but there is a second and important reason besides a
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policy reason why every member of this house should support this legislation and illegal th vin ti indicate the separation of powers. there was a supreme court case in 19 the 3 that dealt with the issue. d in that case mbingts the constitution outlines to change the law, how legislation is enacted in accordance with constitutional command. and there was an procedure for enacting legislation. and unilateral memoranda from the white house is not the way to change the law. if you are interested in vindicating the separation of powers. if you believe the way to change the law, even if you believe the way of deferred action, the way we do that is through
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constitutional procedure. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. . mr. barrow: if the gentleman would like to yield. . there is not just a policy issue at stake, the constitution is at stake and i appreciate the house leadership for heeding the call that i and many of my calls made to stay in session before the start of the august work period. i urge president obama to do his job. stop scoring political points. listen to the american people, pass this bill and join the house in solving this important problem. thank you very much. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan. mr. conyers: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from virginia.
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mr. goodlatte: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: who seeks team time? mr. conyers: how much time remains? the speaker pro tempore: the ntleman from mash has 25 1/2 minutes and the gentleman from virginia has 22 1/2 minutes remaining. who claims time? the gentleman from virginia. mr. goodlatte: it's my pleasure to recognize the majority whip of the united states congress, thebrand new majority whip, gentleman from louisiana, mr. scalise,. mr. scalise: i thank my friend for bringing this floor for mrs. act. burns'
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some wub to try to make this a partisan issue, the united states supreme court has issued 9-0 rulings that president obama has overreached his executive authority. that's not a 5-4 decision. ruth ginsberg has recognized that he has overreached and why is this daca ruling so dangerous? this has been the magnet that led to the flood, this crisis at the border is responsible to the daca ruling. we have got to stop having this has f message go out and led to and can be responsible for the human traffic ink that is going on. there are devastating things that are going on. we have to stop this overreach. mr. conyers: i yield to the
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distinguished member of the judiciary committee, ms. jackson lee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. jackson lee: i list earlier today all of the relief in the appropriation bill given to xans down at the border 400, 500, and $90 million. let me tell you there are people in texas ready to serve the unaccompanied children. there are people in texas who recognize we are the good samaritan. don't label us with wanting $594 million. and don't label us with standing against the daca children, the dreamers, who have come to this country and been here for five years. these children ran into the arms of the border patrol. there is no criminal or legal
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crisis at the border. but the daca bill that is here on the floor of the house is a disgrace to the words of the "star spangled banner." we are the home of the free and the brave. we are free enough to be able to welcome those in need. this body knows that daca has nothing to do with the unaccompanied children. and it is a disgrace -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. ms. jackson lee: the hardworking students like the one -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. ms. jackson lee: he was undermined with a disgraceful bill. disgraceful bill. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is outed -- out of order. ms. jackson lee: i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is no longer recognized. time has expired of the the gentleman from virginia. mr. goodlatte: at this time i'm pleased to recognize the gentleman from iowa, mr. king, for three minutes, a member of the judiciary committee. the speaker pro tempore: the entleman will suspend.
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the gentleman from iowa is recognized for three minutes. mr. king: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i appreciate the gentleman from virginia, chairman goodlatte, for yielding. there are a lot of people in this congress that i appreciate a great deal tonight. but i listened to the anger and the fury over on the other side and i have never seen the sergeant at arms had to clear the floor like we have seen here tonight. i'm wondering what is this about? take us back to the state of the union address when i watched the president of the united states here on -- here from the rostrum speak and he said, essentially, the summary of what he has delivered to america a number of times, congress, i'm going to you what to do. if you don't do it i'm either going to use my cell phone or ink pen and i'll do it.
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here it goes again, mr. speaker. 8 our founding fathers set up this balance in the constitution between the three branches of government. articles 1, 2, and 3. the legislative, executive, and judicial branch of government. and they drew as fine lines as they could between the three. but they always knew there would be a gray area. they anticipated that each branch of government would jealousy protect the constitutional authority that's vested within it in the constitution, the supreme law of the land. when the president said i'm going it usurp your legislative authority. i' going to take article 1, and legislative state if you don't do what i tell you. what happened? the people applauding now applauded then. they said, mr. president, take the power to send the constitution, take it from me. take article 1, too. take your pen, cell phone, you run this country as if you were a king rather than only the president of the united states. mr. speaker, that's what this debate is about here.
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this is about the daca language that the president has introduced two plus years ago. i said then when we had hill hearings before the judiciary committee and janet napolitano, said we'll take you to court on this. this will be litigated. it will be litigated because the president does not have legislative authority. he's only the president of the united states. if the president wants to somehow grant amnesty to one person, he has the prosecutorial discretion to do that. they argued in the memos and the daca memos, seven times in the morton memos on an individual basis only, individual basis only. prosecutorial discretion on an individual basis only. and they put in there seven times because they knew they were wrong, they knew it was going to be late gated. you don't do 700,000 people on an individual basis only. you don't suspend the law. the president wants the law changed. come to congress, ask us. when you take an oath to uphold
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the constitution, you better believe that it means what it says. and why would you just throw your authority over the side and say, mr. president, take this from us? that's not what you pledged to your constituents. that's not the oath that you take. so this is what -- what this says is the daca language says this, mr. president, stop violating the constitution from this point forward. as the chairman said, it does not deport anybody. it just restores -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired -- the gentleman's time has expired. mr. goodlatte: mr. speaker, i yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for an additional 30 seconds. mr. king: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank the gentleman from virginia. this just restores the constitutional authority of the united states congress and it says, president obama, don't continue to violate this constitution. president obama, when you waive your ink pen at us a week and a half ago and said you're going to legalize five to six million
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people. it's unconstitutional. he knows t he's many times given the lecture he knows t he gave his word and he needs to keep it. we want to remind him it won't go cheap if you try this, mr. president. i urge the adoption of this bill and i yield back the alance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: members of the house are reminded to direct their comments to the chair. the gentleman from michigan. mr. conyers: mr. speaker, i'm pleased to yield mr. hinojosa of texas one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for one minute. mr. hinojosa: -- mr. conyers: two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. hinojosa: thank you, congressman conyers. mr. speaker, as chairman of the congressional hispanic caucus, i rise today to strongly oppose h.r. 5272. an extreme and highly partisan bill that would prevent the continuation our expansion of president obama's deferred action for childhood arrivals known as daca. simply put, this misguided bill
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limits president obama's prosecutorial discretion and seeks to dismantle the daca program. i am very concerned that the majority has brought this anti-hispanic amended bill to the floor in order to prevent president obama from building upon the successes of the daca program and to appease the most extreme wing of the republican conference. the underlying bill punishes hardworking dreamers and immigrants who are eager to contribute to america east prosperity -- america's prosperity and waited long enough for comprehensive immigration reform. since its inception in 2012, the daca program has protected dreamers who meet certain requirements from deportation, allowing hundreds of thousands of young undocumented immigrants who are brought to the united states as children to remain and work in the united states. in my view, closing the door on undocumented youth is un-american.
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we in the congress of the united states have a moral responsibility to protect the welfare and rights of vulnerable children and youth, including children and youth who are undocumented or fleeing from the violence and despair in their countries of origin. i close by urging my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote in strong opposition to h.r. 5272, extreme and highly partisan legislation that does nothing to fix our nation's broken immigration system. yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia. mr. goodlatte: at this time, i'm pleased to yield three minutes to the gentleman from idaho, mr. labrador, a member of the judiciary committee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from idaho is recognized for three minutes. mr. labrador: mr. speaker, as i sit here and i listen to the other side talk about this issue, i wonder if they even understand what is happening at
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the border. in 2011 there were only 6,500 children coming to the border. in 2012 the president acted through daca, and we started seeing an increase of these children coming to the border. today in 2014 we will have 90,000 children rushing to the border. and next year it is estimated that we will have 142,000 children coming to the border. most two months ago it a 15-year-old boy from guatemala was found lying in brush, dead from the heat. many of these children that are coming to the border don't make it across the river. there are reports of discoveries of small lifeless bodies washed up along the
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river banks. many of these children are abused. they are victimized and they are raped. we must understand that the president is responsible because of his failure to fully comply with the law. we have heard a lot from the other side that the president acted because we did not act. well, that is not true. the reality is that the president and his party had majorities in both houses of congress for two years, and you failed to act. so don't point your finger at us. in november of 2012, in november of 2012 we passed in this house a stem jobs act which was the beginning of a step by step approach to actually deal with the immigration process. and what did you do?
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you didn't vote for it and the senate refused to take it up. in september of 2011, we passed here in the house the fairness for high-skilled immigrants act. and the senate again refused to act, which would have been the beginning of a step by step approach for us to deal with the immigration process. you have refused to do small things -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman will suspend. the gentleman is reminded to direct his comments to the chair. mr. labrador: thank you, mr. speaker. stop the hypocrisy. if you truly care about these kids, stop encouraging them to come to the united states illegally. they are crossing the border, most of them are being harmed. many of them are being abused. and a few of them are dying. it is time for us to stop this
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nonsense and to have the president of the united states actually follow the law and work with the congress so we can actually do immigration eform. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan. mr. conyers: mr. speaker, i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan reserves his time. the gentleman from virginia. mr. goodlatte: mr. speaker, at this time it's my pleasure to yield one minute to the gentlewoman from minnesota, mrs. bachmann. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from minnesota is recognized for one minute. mitts backman: thank you -- mrs. bachmann: thank you, mr. speaker. i also thank mrs. blackburn who is responsible for this bill this evening and i wholeheartedly support, and this is why. last weekend i think the nation was stunned when our president said that he would unilaterally use his power, raw power, to effectively grant amnesty to five million to six million foreign nationals here in the united states illegally.
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he said that he would do that with his power. and what happened this week is that this body came together and we decided to answer the president's unconstitutional call. so this bill effectively, this daca bill, we'll put forward the strongest possible legislative response that this body could put forward. we say in this bill that the president has no power, no authority administratively to grant permits which would effectively grant amnesty to five million to six million foreign nationals illegally in the united states. in other words, mr. speaker, we will put a handcuff on one of the president's hands. -- we need to have mr. goodlatte: i yield an additional minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for an additional one minute. mrs. bachmann: now in the united states senate, the majority leader harry reid left
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town. he's left town. not only did he fail to complete an immigration bill, but he knows full well that president obama may illegally grant amnesty to five million to six million foreign nationals illegally in the united states. without doing anything. what harry reid has the opportunity to do is come back and join us. we'll be here any time, any day, anywhere, any how. we'll join him here in august, september, whenever. he needs to put the other hang cuff on this lawless president's hands. so that we can strain this president from granting amnesty. that's what the american people want us to do. we do that tonight with this bill. we invite harry reid to bring the senate back and put the handcuff on the president's other hand so we can have sovereignty again on our southern border. and i yield back to the gentleman from virginia. the speaker pro tempore: the chair wishes to remind members to refrain from engaging in personalities toward the president.
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he gentleman from the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan controls the time. mr. conyers: i yield to the gentleman. mr. cicilline: is it not a fact we are here because the republicans oppose this legislation in the senate and not sufficient votes to move the bill, and that's why we are here. the speaker pro tempore: the ntleman has not stated a parliamentary inquiry. mr. conyers: i reserve. mr. goodlatte: it's my pleasure to yield to the gentleman from texas, mr. poe. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. poe: i'm one of those who come from the state of texas and like many in this house, i have been down in the texas-mexico border. you have to be there to know
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what's going on. i went up and down the river with law enforcement officers from the state of texas and we see the people on the mexican side and the mexican government is complicit waiting for us to pass and they start coming across. and the other side talks about it being one group of people, children. that's not true. because the people that are being apprehended are not just children, a lot of them are teenagers, a lot of them are older. there were 144 nations that came across the border this year, represented. this week before i got there, ukranians. hree why is everybody coming to america through south texas? because they believe where they start out, whether kids in
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honduras, or terrorists, ukranians or someone else, they believe this president, this administration says, you get to america, we are going to let you stay. we have all kinds of different kinds of legal reasons, but the bottom line is you will stay in america and america will stay in america. and the reason they believe that is because the rule of law is not being enforced. third-world countries protect their borders better. and who is benefiting? not the kids. many of them are dying and getting hurt. it's not america. who is benefiting? it's the drug cartels, criminal gangs, ms-13 gangs. they are making money off the rule of law.
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the gentleman is recognized is. mr. poe: the rule of law is not recognized and that's all we are asking,. people all over the world who want to come to america, let them know there is a right way to come. and the wrong way is -- they shouldn't believe that you get here, you are going to stay here because the administration is not going to enforce the law. that's why we have the chaos and the 50,000 to 60,000 people crossing in texas. all we are trying to do is get law.to enforce the rule of let's treat them all the same way. and that's why i support the legislation. the rule of law is going to be
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enforced. i yield to the chairman. mr. goodlatte: i make the added point and i yield to the gentleman. i yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. goodlatte glat 50,000 naccompanied minors, all categories are up, children are up most, but all categories are up and 85% are not unaccompanied minors. the gentleman makes a point about the crisis. the president caused it and the president should act now and america is not open to people who violate our laws. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan. ms. jackson lee: parliamentary
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inquiry as to the bill that is on the floor is not the bill dealing with daca for five years, graduated from high school going to college and working and actuality, is not dealing with the unaccompanied children, but is it not true this that this bill will not be passed in the senate and we are passing a bill that has no future? the speaker pro tempore: the entlelady has not stated a parliamentary inquiry. mr. conyers: we are ready to close on this side. mr. goodlatte: i only have one speaker remaining. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from. -- michigan. mr. conyers: i recognize gentlelady california to close e remainder of our time,
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representative lofgren. ms. lofgren: some members have asked whether this bill terminates deferred action for dreamers with daca, this question was put to chairman goodlatte today at the rules ki nd he answered that the text speaks for itself. he is right. 527, on page 1, the text terminates daca by prohibiting dreamers. it also prevents future deferred action which we continue to deport the parents of the dreamers and parents of u.s. children sending those children into foster care or prevent
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dreamers who have not yet filed for deferred action. so bavelly, this bill will have the effect of removing daca from the dreamers and making them deportable. the role that daca has had and i would like to ask unanimous consent, mr. speaker, to put into the record a report from the cato institute, titled, daca did not cause the surge in unaccompanied children." you can see ith is impossible that daca has been the cause of these children coming from the the war-torn countries as report reports. now we know that this bill would alimb limb nature daca and the bill also returns to our bitter
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two-year fight about re-authorization against the women against violence act. it took three years to re-authorize at the beginning of this congress and when we did it, we did it over the strong opposition. today's bill undermines the baveng of basic premise, that victims should be empowered to lead their abusers and denying and ility of abusers self-pronings for a visa to work for the months to take. this one change will prevent their ss spouses for abusers. we have heard a lot of discussion about the law. but i think it's important to
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recall that the ability to make prosecutorial decisions is well-grounded in the law. in fact in 1999, i recall the letter sent by then chairman henry hyde signed by congress to the clinton administration. and the supreme court comm in the arizona case recognized the broad authority of the administration to make decisions about whom to prosecute. the arizona case reafffirmed the legality. so all this discussion to the contrary is nothing more than legal nonsense. and ports the dreamers reinvigorates the republican war
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on women and back to their abusers. this is bad policy. it's an outrageous bill. it's being done in the worst possible process. and i wish so much that the republicans had reached out, taken the offer of our leaders to sit down and work together and come up with a solution that really works for our country instead of deporting the dreamers that are are the hope and inspiration of our nation and with that, i yield back. the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman from virginia. mr. goodlatte: daca is more than just more of mr.al discretion, it creates benefits that are not created under the law. it is my pleasure to yield to
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the the gentlewoman from tennessee, mrs. blackburn for five minutes. mrs. blackburn: i thank you, mr. chairman. and i rise in support of my amendment to prevent the expansion of the deferred action for childhood aprifles program that was indeed ununlawfully put in place on august 15, 2012. what this amendment does is to return us to the original language of h.r. 5160. plus it strengthens that original language by looking beyond july 30 and what it will do is to tie the president's hands as to future executive actions that he might ack to expand amnesty. it would freeze daca. now i want to read the bill
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because it's not a lengthy bill and beginning on-line one, section one, restrictions on employment authorization for aliens not in lawful states. no agency or instrument atlanta of the federal government may use federal funding or resources after july 30, 2014, one, to consider or adjudicate any denied application of any alien requesting consideration as authorized by the executive memo dated june 15, 2012 and effective on august 15, 2012 or by my member rund umh or policy. and number two, to newly authorized deferred action for any class of aliens not lawfully present in the united states. and number three to authorize any alien to work in the u.s. if
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such alien was not lawfully admitted into thes with the i will gracious and nationality is not act, u.s.c. 1101, in lawful status on the date. that is it. that is what is in this piece of legislation. what it does, in effect, is to give central american children a false hope. it says they are going to be able to obtain amnesty as those have done before in this program. and the reason we are so concerned about this and the reason my colleagues have come and talked about their concern, what is happening is you have the fraskers, you have the ky oath yose who are preying on
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these innocent people and they believe if these children can ake it here, they will get help. certainly we care about these families. we know this these countries want to get their children back and reunite them with their families in their home country. now, mr. speaker, what we are hearing is that the administration would like to expand daca. we have heard that the president has instructed secretary johnson and general holder to come up action. ons to address the percentages of increases cannot be denied. we see what is happening on this border. mr. poe talked about what he has
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seen happening with those families. and true to form, just as governor perry warned us, that this was going to happen, indeed it is. we are seeing this unprecedented increase going back to 2009, looking at where we are today, with the children, with the kings, with the adults that are streaming across this border and disrupting life along the uthern border for american families. . one other point. mr. chairman, the house is not in order. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is correct. the house is not in order. the gentlelady deserves to be heard. the gentlelady may proceed. mrs. blackburn: thank you, mr. chairman. we talked a little bit about
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the constitution tonight. and indeed we all know that when you look at the constitution, article 1, section 8, clause 4, that is where those enumerated powers are given to congress. they are given to congress. mr. chairman, the house is not in order. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady will suspend. proceedings in the house will not continue until the house is n order. those members who prefer to have conversations, if you would respectfully remove those onversations from the floor. the gentlelady may continue. mrs. blackburn: i thank you, mr. chairman. as i said, article 1, section 8, clause 4, the powers are given to congress to establish,
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'm quoting the constitution, a uniform, a uniform rule of naturalization. >> on friday, the house passed two pieces of legislation. it goes toward securing the border by using the national guard and other means. there are also changes to programs deporting immigrant children. the bills added to the senate where passage is unlikely that -- been sent to the senate has been sent to the senate where passage is unlikely. the house stand in recess for five weeks as does the senate. members are scheduled to return for business in september. you could watch the house live on c-span and the senate on c-span 2. members of the congressional
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hispanic caucus spoke to reporters about the ongoing border situation earlier today. dealingbefore the vote with border security. they discuss the actions recently by republican leadership when it failed to gain a majority of support. the caucus chair of texas led the briefing. it also included the house minority leader nancy pelosi and house minority whip steny hoyer. this is 40 minutes. >> ladies and gentlemen -- are the speakers on? can your us in the back? -- you hear us in the back?
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i stand here with my colleagues in the chc and the democratic caucus to urge house republicans to stop playing politics with the lives of innocent children and work with us to find a bipartisan solution. this week we have seen a continued lack of compassion from our republican colleagues for central american refugee children, latinos, and the immigrant community. the legislation would have rolled back protections for young victims of violence. deferred the child arrival program and have militarized the borders. that wasn't enough for the republican majority. house republicans continue to
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use the crisis of the border to push forward their extreme agenda. the sit of focusing on providing funding to ensure these children are treated humanely, they want to eliminate the guarantee of due process protection. solve our working to broken immigration system, house republicans have refused to put forward the senate passed immigration bill that they have before them for months. -- have they considered the american people elected us to work together to solve problems. we asked republicans once again to come to the table and work with us and develop an american solution to the humanitarian crisis along our border. with that, i yield to the leader of our democratic party, nancy
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pelosi from california. youhank you very much to and the congressional hispanic caucus. thank you. you make us so proud of helping us stand up to our responsibilities of this great country. as others say, it is great because america is good. today could have been opportunity for coming together an extended the hand of friendship. let us get this together to get this done. it was unsustainable from our standpoint. instead of responding to the concerns expressed, the evangelical table, the american bar association, instead of responding to the objections i had to this legislation, they right and more to the
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not to the correct, but to the right. so we have a situation where with all of the best intentions of the world in a bipartisan way, it democrats and republicans came together for a we cannot let the message coming out of here be that we were magnanimous and embraced children that might be involved in human trafficking, but it got to be too many children and that was another thing. meet the due process and representation for them, the judges to facilitate their acceptance or repatriation back to their own country. let us remember that some of these children have been through
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traumatic situations. i just want to recall to all of you a picture that representative castro had on the floor of the house today. soldiers with their guns pointed at the border. is that how we say suffer the little children to come to us? >> thank you. i am honored to stand here with the hispanic caucus. let me make it very clear, the hispanic caucus speaks for all of us. not just for their caucus members, but for the democratic caucus and for millions of millions of americans who see america as a welcoming, compassionate, humanitarian, fair country.
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there is a need that exists now. everyone recognizes that this need exists now for resources to ensure that we treat not just children, but all people in a humanitarian fashion. it is unfortunate, therefore, that republicans are playing partisan games with a bill that has no chance of passing the senate or being signed into law. it is a message they want to send, not a solution they want to effect. rather than reach across the aisle to see what we can pass in a bar partisan way, and they continue to move even further from the mainstream. as the majority leader said in an op-ed today, we could pursue the regular order and consider
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legislation debated and haven't vetted by the american people. but republicans are racing to the right, putting forward the the harshest and most draconian processes they can think of. we ought to be passing comprehensive immigration reform now. speaker boehner shoudl allow the house to work its will on both the bipartisan resorts to the crisis and the comprehensive immigration reform. i am honored in making that case to the america people. now why will yield back. >> i would like to recognize the leader of our party.
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>> i thank the chairman of the hispanic caucus for bringing us altogether. it is not as the members of the hispanic caucus, but all of us who believe we should do things the right way in this country. the corosive effects of shutdown do-nothing politics is on display today. stripping the rights of children is never a solution in any legislation. at the same time, it is never a good idea and a good solution to sue the president of the united states for doing his job when you're not willing to do your job here in the house of representatives. but this is ultimately what happens when for more than 380 days you let a bipartisan solution to a broken immigration system sit in the house of representatives. we could've voted on legislation that would have tackled the issues we face down on the border with this humanitarian crisis a year ago.
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we have not been able to get a vote on fixing a broken immigration system. it is time to have a vote to fix the broken immigration system and do our jobs the right way. thank you. >> i would like to at this time recognize from the great state of new mexico, congressman ben. >> thank you. yesterday we saw a house republican conference that was in disarray because ted cruz and a sizable number of the members were not satisfied with the bill that they drafted that would strip away due process for children that were trying to escape the horrible violence that has gripped guatemala and el salvador and honduras. taking away the opportunity for these young people to tell their stories.
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we will be sending that back to the very traffickers and rapists they are trying to escape. today we're hearing from house republicans that now they want to have provisions to go after dreamers. house republicans are giving into the most extreme of their party to bring in spirited battle that would break up families ago after those who want to build a better life for themselves, their families, and the communities. sending the back into a burning building. >> at this time i would like to recognize someone who has led the hispanic caucus on the scene of immigration reform for over a decade.
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>> for weeks they've been calling those who have been coming fleeing drug dealers, disease ridden, gang bangers, drug dealers, mules of the rock -- drug can tell who come here in hordes to invade our nation. and now they are demonstrating that that is how they feel in their legislation, because i have to go down to the least common denominator of hatefulness toward an immigrant community. when i say it about the children, they say it's about all of this. it is though the republican caucus that began to reach out after the 2012 november debacle,
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as we reelected barack obama, and they said we needed to reach out to the latino community, it is though they have amnesia and have forgotten and have abandoned that road. they have taken the road of those that are filled with a spitefullness and hatred toward our community. that is what he will write. let me make clear on behalf of all of us here that we will soon cure them of that amnesia in the selection and everything election moving forward. the way you treat one of us today is the way you have treated all of us, and we will remember that. not only do they treat the children that are in such need of protection, it is almost as if they despise all of our children.
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because even the children that came before them that have pledged allegiance to the flag of the united states all of their life, and the president has afforded them an opportunity to become legal,they want them in an illegal situation, even those that america -- the american people thought was a good decision. lastly, [speaking spanish]. >> it is with pleasure that i -- [speaking spanish]
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>> it is with pleasure that i introduce jim costa. >> thank you mr. chairman, and i think my colleagues of the hispanic caucus and the leadership that is here today to express from our heart the fact that we have a humanitarian crisis on our border, we have a crisis of security, and we have a broken immigration system that needs to be fixed and it is long overdue. earlier this week i said that it is the height of hypocrisy, to be talking up border security when they have been unwilling to put the very vehicle that would provide border security and increased protection in the bipartisan immigration reform bill that we passed last year.
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it is the height of hypocrisy. there were billions of dollars that were provided in that legislation that would have improved our border security. also, provided the additional support for humane treatment of these children. these children were escaping atrocities from guatemala, el salvador, and honduras who need our support. the irony is, of course, it should not be lost on you in the press, on tuesday they voted 2 million dollars to sue the president because they say he exceeded his executive authority. yesterday republican leadership said we do not need legislation because the president used his executive authority, and he could fix this problem. i do not get it. talk about wanting to have it both ways.
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the fact is, members from their own party said it best is morning. we have a lot of lawmakers who are not interested in governing. we have a lot of members here who do not want to vote for anything. we have to get 218 votes, or you cannot pass anything. we just put some new leadership teams with new people, and the same roadblocks every time. let me finally comment that that is cynical, it is local to vote on a piece of legislation is going nowhere and will not tell. it and will not get the president signature -- it will not pass the senate and will not give the president's signature.
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this is all about a talking piece to provide some cover for not solving problems in a bipartisan fashion. i want to thank my colleagues. >> we live in a world now, in a digital age, where stories come and go so quickly, often times there are big stories in a week that are competing for attention. this episode makes us ask ourselves who are we as a nation? are we today in america the ones who rescued jews from the soviet union, who rescued the get me -- and the vietnamese from communism?
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we have to ask ourselves what it means to be a refugee in this world of the 21st century. as i mentioned on the house floor, just as our adversaries have changed, they have not always been cuba alone anymore, it is not iraq by itself. the refugees of the world have changed them and they are not being pursued gated by communistic haters, a drug cartel kills people too. we cannot forget about all of those tens of thousands of kids who have come here seeking refuge. lastly, i want to say thank you to the people of texas and the people of america who have shown such incredible compassion in reaching out to do everything
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they can to offer food, shelter, and clothing to the kids who have come here. >> thank you. i would like to recognize congresswoman michelle gershom. >> thank you. as you can see, we are all here, joined in what is even greater than solidarity, because it is clear that we are working to protect these children and these families. mexico is one of the homes of the detention facilities, and i visited that facility. who i met were mothers, and toddlers. one years old, two years old, and three years old. the average trip in seven days. the horrors which they describe, which you of heard again today, are real. i cannot understand, i do not think anyone here can understand, in a country and state-by-state working to
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enhance our trafficking laws, that in this situation on the border what we are going to do is we are going to repeal those trafficking laws and we are going to ignore that human trafficking is real and these children are real victims. in addition to that, today, we have a republican colleagues who want to make them victims of politics in this country. the way we continue to embrace diversity to make it right to grow the economy, to solve these issues, degree of credibility around this world is to do comprehensive immigration reform. it is the effort that allows us to do the right rings in the right ways in the right time. in these places, in the rio grande valley, and we have the ability to do it. what you're hearing today is more than frustration.
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a renewed energy and effort to do what is right for these children, to do what is right for their mothers and fathers who bravely moves them away, against all odds. we do not even talk about the children we lose along the way. we do not talk about the fact that on their way back to my these women are shackled in front of these toddlers. we are not talking about the real horrors continuing to occur. let's not let them, not one more child, be a victim of the problem of all addicts in this country. let's lead, passed conference of immigration reform. thank you. >> our next speaker is from florida. >> i would like to thank the chairman and the leadership were being here -- for being here. we are looking at one of the
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most anti-hispanic congresses and generations. not only have they up was a conference of a partisan bill, yesterday they proposed existing legal rights being stripped away that children have on the border. they want to strip away rights of half a million children that have already been considered. they want to repeal the administration's policy to deal with this, the flexibility to deal with this in the law. they have been blocking any chance that passing immigration reform. this requires a response, and they appreciate how we have stood with the hispanic caucus. >> thank you.
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i want to acknowledge the tremendous leadership of speaker pelosi and steny hoyer, and the tremendous support they have given us as well as the leadership of our chair. two weeks ago, i visited the border and i saw firsthand these small, young children held in tiny cells and forced to sleep on cold concrete lors and benches. the treatment of these vulnerable kids, as you have heard over and over again, they are coming here because they are fleeing the horrors in their own country. frankly, as an american, as a mother, as a grandmother, i was absolutely shocked by what i saw. i had heard the stories, but it isn't until you actually see the conditions that these children are in that you realize just how awful those conditions are. what is happening today, this
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week, under the republican leadership is absolutely outrageous, you're responsible, and quite frankly it is absolutely un-american. we have a humanitarian crisis at the border. passing a clean supplemental bill will help to alleviate the tragic conditions that these children are under. but instead, the republicans continue to try to put on all of these extras on this bill. not extras that will be more humanitarian and help these children, but rather punitive and unnecessary provisions that make it impossible to pass a bill. i want to point out one thing, we heard this on the floor today. republicans like to scare the public, and tell them that while it is really about the
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protection of our borders, that is a myth. our borders are safe. border crossings are substantially down, and border towns like el paso, texas, just right across from one of the most violent in mexico, has been ranked as the safest city in the u.s. for the fourth straight year. what is really happening? it is not about acting in the best interest of our country or in the best interest of these children. it is about writing a bill that is even meaner than the one they tried to pass yesterday, more punitive simply to appease the
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extremist in the republican party. once we pass this crisis, what we need to do is pass comprehensive immigration reform to avoid further crisis in the future. >> our last speaker, and then we will take questions from the media. >> thank you. i agree with my colleague from california. the majority is trying to scare the country about the situation that we face on our border with mexico. they have succeeded in scaring themselves. what but fear could cause you to remove due process for kids who are fleeing horrific violence? four-year-old girls who show up in plastic bags, showing signs of being brutalized. if you have children, or know children, how would your
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eight-year-old do in an accelerated process of having to apply for a visa in a foreign language without an attorney or be sent back to your country? what but fear could send the national guard to the boarder that is safer than it has ever been? el paso, san diego, the first and third safest cities in this country. let us not be motivated by fear, let us be motivated out of strength, out of our conscience, and out of the conviction and courage to do the right thing for this country and for the kids who need us most. >> i will invite our senior of the caucus to please come to the podium and take russians from -- questions from the media.
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>> many of you have been down to the border. what is your understanding of the practical applications when congress leaves without having done anything on the border? the money will run out this month, and you will not be back until next month. border patrol will run out the middle of next month. what happens practically when the money runs out? can they juggle funds? is the administration given you any indication that they will patch the holes? >> i can tell you one thing from a humanitarian point of view on this issue. the crisis will only get worse at the border. more kids will come, more families will come. the fact is, there are 34,000 detentions for families and children.
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the border will be less secure, unless you can give the reprint funding for control -- appropriate funding for control print about one third fewer children are coming than the height of the crisis in june. the children are not really going to hearings in three to four years, they are giving them are in three to four weeks. we want to make sure, that the children are not [indiscernible]. >> my experience has been, along with the other members, that
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whenever we do not fund what we are supposed to fund on time, the crisis grows. the people on the ground, trying to do their work, cannot do their work. so the republicans stop to complain about the situation, not funding it, but funding and properly, it makes the question worse. [speaking spanish] >> [speaking spanish]
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[speaking spanish] >> it seems like this morning we saw republican house leadership trying to accommodate and reassure some of the conservative members, and take into account the concerns of some senators. what do you make of that dynamic? >> let me begin as a cuban-american, who realizes that i have special immigratory rights. and i'm appalled that senator cruz who receive those rights from canada that leads the
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charge to strip away those rights. they cannot come to agreement with themselves. to some degree, you saw yesterday the tail wagging the dog. as the afternoon progressed with their ability to hold their votes got worse and worse. >> as all of you know, at one point yesterday there was expectation that there might not be a vote at all. i am wondering what you think the significance politically or otherwise was not the house republicans are going to proceed with this vote. >> we have had negotiations with leadership on the other side of the aisle. >> the president made it very clear earlier this week that what the house republicans were putting together to address the humanitarian crisis was not only insufficient, it makes things
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worse. the president made it very clear that will not ever become law because we are making the situation worse, what good does that do? for republicans to continue on this march because of the pressure of their far right, it means that they are not interested in getting things done. when you do nothing, you end up in crises. we are in crises because the house is choosing to do nothing. >> last question. speak up. >> question on the changes being made to the bill. we understand that they are checking the immigration status of children who were coming to pick up children. do we know what the effects of that will be? >> we have heard that they might try to do that.
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they say they are the party of family values. the law is very clear. when there were calmer times, more levelheaded debates and discussions, such as in 2002, the congress decided even mr. gomer, even mr. smith, together with all of us that were here, we all agreed together that we would with the interest of the children first. we said they should be reunited first and foremost with family that they have. what better family than their moms and dads? that is what they wanted to do. let me also say that unfortunately, the way they speak about a community, it is almost as if the children, we are a vile, repugnant community
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to them that they vilify and they vilify and demonize and every one of their statements. there are dozens of members of the republican party in the caucuses i know that we work with every day. we know this is not a reflection of who they are and their values . accurately the loudest and the meanest most vile voices are the ones were dominating their caucus. it is very disheartening. in espagnol. [speaking in spanish]
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question may not only be who are these young people and why are they here? the question could be who is here as. and why are we a congress? we can't turn our back on people who are hurting. we shouldn't start now. [speaking in spanish] thank you. >> gracias. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2014] [captioning performed by national captioning institute]
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>> on this weekend's "newsmakers" louisiana senator is our guest. he talked about the epa carbon rules and the situation with immigrant children at the u.s. border. you could watch interview sunday when "newsmakers" airs on c-span. an author is our guest on this week's "q&a." >> she was a beautiful and witty . she was always a resistible to men. even in her old age. i was at her 80th birthday
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party. party.s man was that her they sat together after dinner having coffee goods at one point she began to stroke his beard. heavens, ihe said, met an 80-year-old i wanted to leap into bed with. she had the seductive quality her entire life. -- the life and career of on c-span's "q&a." >> up next, a look at the alestinian conference. debate on bills that deal with border security and duplication process for immigrant children.
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israeli-palestinian -- among the topics were was the compliance with u.s. and international law and the treatment of civilians in the gaza strip. one of the speakers is a teenager who recently returned to the u.s. from israel after having been arrested and securityby israel forces. this is an hour and a half. is israel comply with u.s. and international laws? impunity andael's injuring and killing civilians in the gaza strip and the west bank and including jerusalem. my name is josh. i and the policy director for the u.s. campaign to end the israeli occupation. we're got a number of
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organizations have joined in helping to organize and to cosponsor this event this afternoon, including american muslims for palestine and the council on american islamic relations, dispense for children international palestine, jewish voice for peace, national lawyers guild, peace actions, if foundation for peace and justice, and the u.s. listing in community network. we are hosting this briefing obviously everyone knows at a disproportionate use of force that is being inflicted by and then the captive seized and occupied 1.8 million palestinian residents in the gaza strip. today on gathered here
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capitol hill, i think it is incumbent upon us to ask ourselves whether israel is following the tenant of u.s. law when it comes to its use of wars against palestinian's in the occupied palestinian territory. the armed export and troll act thattly limits the uses u.s. weapons could be used for by foreign countries to legitimate self-defense and into internal security. our panelists will be addressing whether in fact these weapons are being used in this manner or not. we have seen israel bomb and schools andthan 160 hospitals in the occupied gaza strip over the past three. the u.s. foreign assistance of the state very clearly that
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states clearly that any country that commits systematic violations of human rights is ineligible for any form of u.s. aid. we know that a law is part of the foreign assistance act. ofcuts off u.s. aid to units any foreign military that engages in human rights abuses and individuals who do so are restrict it from gaining access -- restricted from getting access to the u.s. by being denied visas. the question before us is are we a country of laws? are we a country which is going to insist upon the application of the very laws that were written in these halls of congress? lawsrael somehow above the and free to neglect the
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restrictions of these laws? we will be examining these questions with our congressional staff. we have more information about this very issue for you to take back to your offices. both fromcidate personal experience and from professional expertise, the use of force that israel employs against palestinian living under occupation, we have a very rich life of speakers to address that here today and i will introduce them all at once at first and then they will come up and speak in the order in which they were introduced. thet i would like introduce man to my left. he is a teenager from tampa, florida should he was viciously beaten by the isreali police of
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this year in jerusalem and was caught on video. he will share with us his experiences going through that. mother alsois his to the left. attorney for the family and works on the council of american islamic relations in florida. after that we will hear from who isrker to my right an attorney and international advocacy officer for defense for children international palestine. middleollowed by the east and north africa advocacy officer for amnesty international usa. rounding out the panel will be a books about the
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gaza strip and is a former correspondent for al jazeera english based in the gaza strip. because we are running overflow, we will be repeating this conversation at 3:30 p.m. for those not able to get in and you can come back later. without further ado i'm like to would like to ask my guest to come up to the microphone. [applause] >> good afternoon, everyone. i am glad to be back safely. when i traveled overseas, it was really tough. i have been through a tough time. when i arrived at the airport, i was actually at the airport for
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10 hours. , the palestinian people are suffering. weeks.ed there for six what i have been through is a small thing of what they go through. palestinian people do not have rights. they are not given their rights. to tell you the truth, when i visited, i forgot i had freedom. for my cousins, i wish they have the same freedoms i have living in america. now that i am back, i really appreciate all the freedoms and rights that i have been given. i am just a kid that was born in baltimore and then moved to tampa 11 years old. i am 15 years old now and going into 10th grade.
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when i arrived in palestine, it was so hard to believe what they have been going through your my first -- through there. my first friend over there was murdered. the day that he was kidnapped was really tough because i passed by him and asked him a question. i was passing by and asked if he wanted anything from the bakery. we are close friends. i asked him if he wanted anything from the bakery. he is like, sure. i go to the bakery and i come back with a piece of bread. e there and ilic don't find him there. i am worried there is something wrong. then i found out he was kidnapped here at about point i was -- we were losing time. every second was important. it was tough at that point. i was scared for his life.
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i was scared they're going to do something that was going to be hard. died, heound out he was murdered, he was stabbed and burned alive. theyde us think of how could do that? how could they do that to a person? i don't know. make thingst day to worse, they began to shoot at the whole city. they began to fire at everyone. they hurt. was in anhat day, i alley down the street from my house. i was watching the protests. a couple oft, i saw people screaming from the west -- left side of me. they were screaming like, a bunch of words.
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behind them i saw soldiers. i was afraid for myself. i was frightened and shocked. everyone panicked and started running. the soldiers were running toward them. we ran. some people ran out of the alley and others jump the fence in front of us. i jump the fence. i kept running a little bit farther until the police grabbed me and slam my face into the floor and tied my hands behind my back and started kicking and punching me in the face and in the ribs. i later on after them beating me, i fell unconscious. i have no idea what was going on after that. i felt the beating at the beginning. i will go blind folded in the jail. it took me to jail right away with no medical treatment, nothing. know what to not
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do. i was confused. i was in so much pain. they didn't take me to the hospital until after six hours into the jail. i heard that my dad was out of the jail and trying to get me to a hospital nearby so i can get medical treatment, but they wouldn't let him. they wouldn't let me go till after six hours. they make me come back to the jail after a couple of hours in the hospital. i stayed in the jail for four days. on the fourth day, i had a court date. i went to the court date. they sat me in a room for six hours until they took -- it was my person. i waited six hours and almost fell asleep. i go and i met my parents in this room where i side judge in a couple of other people. -- saw a judge in a couple of other people.
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a translator was there. they were talking hebrew. they released me on house arrest for nine days. i had no charges from beginning. i was never charged. , the when i left palestine day i left palestine, they raided my house, my family's house. they took my uncle and my cousin into custody with no charges. i really want to thank the supporters who made me feel so thankful that i'm american. i'm really sad for my cousins who feel persecuted in israel. i have three cousins that were arrested with me. they were taken to jail with me and their names are -- they are still in jail until now because they are not american like me. it doesn't matter. all people should be treated
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equally. we should all have rights. we are all humans. we were all created equally good we deserve to have rights. we deserve to be treated equally. i think my cousins should be treated with the same rights that i have because they should be treated with the same rights because of how israel treats the isrealis with those rights. we have been going through a tough time. s would give the palestinians the same rights that everyone is given, then there could be a possibility of peace in the middle east. i pray one day my cousin's will -- will not feel scared and can walk outside and be with their friends and play outside in not to be scared to be like, go to the store and have fun. continue life in the regular human. i don't want them to be scared. thank you, everyone.
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[applause] >> good afternoon, everyone. mother. i cannot describe the pain that i felt seeing my beloved son held in an isreali prison without charges. denied medical care and suffering from a brutal beating given to him by the isreali police. when i first heard about this vicious attack, he he paced at the hands of isreali police, i saw his bloody face and his swollen face. and his unconscious body in the
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hospital. i feared for his life. i didn't know whether my son was going to survive or not. i cannot bear to watch the video of his beating. what if you screaming for help? -- he was screaming for help? i couldn't be by his side to comfort him. when i arrived at the hospital to see him, there was an isreali police officer guarding his door. he refused to let me in at first. i pleaded with him. i am his mother until my husband convinced him to let me see my son. when i got the chance to go in and see him, before i got in, the isreali police officer told me i could not get near him, touch him, or speak to him. him, itooked over at
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was like looking at someone i do not know. his face was distorted. he just did not look normal. he was sleeping. i was in use seeing him sleep at that time. he like to stay up with his friends. we were on vacation. it was midnight. i knew that he owe his told me, mom, can i stay up? state, iw him in that thought he was dead. i fell into a state of shock. i husband took me off to the side. i told him to stay in the hospital. i didn't know what would happen next. he was handcuffed to the hospital bed as well. finally went home.
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the next day, josh wagner from the u.s. consulate had contacted me and told me he had made an appointment at the jailhouse to visit. .e all went when we got there, we were told that we were not allowed to see him. josh wagner are seated to tell them that he had an appointment and he was persistent. he told him that he was not going to leave until he was able to see him that day. he called the u.s. embassy and the isreali embassy for three hours back and forth until finally they let him in himself to cm. -- see him. i told him a couple of things before he went in. please make sure he is ok. make sure he's getting his antibiotics. i was told he was given antibiotics, but they were in hebrew. he doesn't read hebrew. at that point, he was in the
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jail with the people, the same people which were the isreali police that being him. i didn't know what to expect from them next. were they going to give him the antibiotics? were they going to comfort him with the comfort he needed? out of they took him hospital just a few hours after a little bit of medical attention he received. with his condition, he needed comfort. he needed to be in an air-conditioned, comfortable bed with people who could comfort him. and be able to take his medication. i'm grateful to be back in america safe with my son. i know palestinians go through what my son faced every day of their lives. he was not able to grieve his
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cousins death as a result of the beating death isreali police gave him the same day his cousin was brutally murdered by isreali extremist. we are still grieving today. protectingthe police us, they taunted us and told us that mohammed was just the first to be killed and that 300 palestinians would be killed for the isreali israeli teenagers who were killed. we did not kill them. why are they doing this to us? my son has been traumatized by this whole experience. our cousins are still in jail to this day. billing reason he got out is because he is an american -- the only reason he got out is because he is an american and the beating was caught on tape. some isreali officials try to
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justify the official beating my son received, my son has never been charged with any crimes. the lack of sympathy they showed towards my son's beating was unbearable for me. nothing could justify restraining the hands of a 15-year-old child and beating him unconscious and even after he was unconscious, they proceeded to hit him in the face. americans we enjoy great freedom in america, in jerusalem, we felt treated worse than second class citizens ida isreali government -- by the isreali government. they treated us differently because we had a different religion and ethnicity. i felt that my family had no rights. my son was viciously attacked while in custody he was in jail
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for four days. we were forced to pay $1000 bond . my son faced 90's of house arrest away from his family. -- 9 days of house arrest away from his family. this ruined the rest of the vacation. when we left america, isreali police raided the family home we were staying at and arrested all of the males in the household. they are still being held today. no charges. the isreali police involved in the beating of my son must be held accountable. so that no matter, no other mother goes to the pain i went through. most of the officers involved in haveeating are in denial yet to face any repercussions. my son still suffers from body headaches,ain and
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not to mention the emotional trauma he must now struggle through. i just pray that america and the world will have the same sympathy for the countless children who are wrongfully arrested or even killed by isrealis who do not care a u.s. passport like my son. none of this would've happened if the isreali government value the life of my son and other palestinians and christian children in the same way they value the life of isreali children. gaza, so many children are dying. mostly women and children. .omeone needs to take a stand someone needs to stop this now. not later, not tomorrow, now. if it was the other way around, the isreali civilians being
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killed, this would have been dealt with differently. it is not fair. the life of a palestinian in gaza should be valued as much as the life of any human being. thank you. [applause] >> thank you for those beautiful words. thank you for coming. i appreciate everyone's sacrifice and the many respected guests. welcome. we would like to make a request those in the hall or whoever is in the back, can you make sure everyone in the hallway is quiet so people can hear without interruption? thank you for everyone's patience in waiting. i am an attorney and executive the american
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islamic relations and an attorney for this family. it is probably the largest civil rights advocates organization that has full-time lawyers that help in florida and victims of as american attorney, what tariq at the hands of a nation that claims to be a democracy boggles my mind. what i saw happened to my client, and what i am seeing happening to this cousins and family members, is unconscionable for someone who has grown up in a legal system such as ours. there are three things that disturb me from a legal perspective and how -- in how tariq and his family were treated.
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