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[Pages H3134-H3135]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
A PLEA NOT TO REINSTATE THE FAMILY SEPARATION POLICY
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Green) for 5 minutes.
Mr. GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, and still I rise. And I rise because
I love my country. I rise today on a mission of mercy.
I am on a mission of mercy for people that I will likely never meet
and greet. Perhaps by some fortuitous circumstance, I may encounter
some of them, but I know not who they are currently in the sense that I
know them personally.
I rise on behalf of the many people who are seeking asylum, and I do
so, Mr. Speaker, because it has been reported on many news stations--
outlets, if you will--that our President intends to reinstate the
family separation policy.
I rise on a mission of mercy, and I make an appeal to the most
powerful man on the planet Earth. My appeal is that you would not--N-O-
T--you would not reinstate this policy.
I beseech you to please, Mr. President, treat these people the way
you would want to be treated if you found yourself in similar
circumstances. I beg that you would understand that separating babies
from mothers is unacceptable by any standard that we know of.
No one supports the notion of taking babies from their mothers,
children from their parents.
{time} 1015
So I am begging and pleading with the President of the United States
of America, the most powerful man on Earth: Please, Mr. President, do
not reinstate this policy.
I also appeal to my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to
encourage the President to do the right thing, the just thing.
[[Page H3135]]
If we are not pleased with the laws in this country, we have a means
by which we can address the law. If we believe that something is
unacceptable, there is a way for us to address it. The way to address
this problem is with immigration reform.
I beg the President and all my colleagues on both sides of the aisle:
Please, let's try to resolve this with legislation. Let's not do what
we have done and, quite frankly, have not atoned for.
Some of the children are still not back with their parents who were
separated previously. This is the United States of America. This is not
what we do. We don't take children from their parents and then place
them in places where we cannot find them such that we can reunite them.
This is my appeal, Mr. President. I make the appeal because, as a
Member of Congress, I believe that at some point we are going to have
to account for the actions that we engage in while we are here. I don't
want it on my record that while I was in the Congress of the United
States of America and I had the opportunity to at least speak to power,
to speak truth to power, and make an appeal on behalf of those who are
among the least, the last, and the lost--I am making my appeal. I am
doing what I can to help those who are fleeing harm's way.
Mr. President, you don't have to do this, and I beg that Members of
both parties would please encourage him not to do so.
This is a moment for us to reflect and a moment for us to demonstrate
to the world that what we preach, we will practice. We have, for years,
encouraged other countries to take in refugees. We have gone so far as
to pay countries to take in refugees. We have funded countries to take
in refugees. We ought to practice what we preach.
Those who are not qualified should not come, should not be brought
into our country. But I would also say this, that we should not say to
the world: Go back, refugees, asylum seekers. You are not welcome in
the United States of America.
This is not the country that would proclaim such a thing. Our laws we
stand on, and I stand on those laws.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to address their
remarks to the Chair.
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