Formatting necessary for an accurate reading of this text may be shown by tags (e.g., <DELETED> or <BOLD>) or may be missing from this TXT display. For complete and accurate display of this text, see the PDF.
[Pages S3072-S3073]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
END MASS DEPORTATION ACT
Ms. CORTEZ MASTO. Madam President, I take to the floor today to urge
my colleagues to halt the President's indiscriminate deportation
regime. This administration is targeting immigrants who are deeply
woven into our communities, and this inhumane approach must end.
For 30 years, David Chavez-Macias, who was born in Mexico, lived in
Reno, NV. He worked as a landscaper during the week and went to church
on Sundays. He raised four children, and he tried to follow the law. He
paid his taxes and hired attorneys to help him become an American
citizen. In 2013, he was pulled over for turning left as the street
light changed. That traffic stop brought him to the attention of
immigration enforcement.
Now, the previous administration had permitted Mr. Chavez-Macias to
stay with his family. After all, he had a heart condition that required
regular treatment, and he had been a hard-working community member for
decades; yet under this administration, David was deported to Mexico,
ripping him from his family.
Now, as a granddaughter of immigrants, I understand how much
immigrants like David contribute to American communities, and as a
native Nevadan--a State where one in five schoolchildren have an
undocumented parent--I know how deeply communities are hurt when we
drive out longtime members. That is why I am introducing the End Mass
Deportation Act to keep the Trump administration from pursuing people
like David. This bill will make sure we are not indiscriminately
targeting people for deportation who have contributed to their
communities for decades.
Just days after taking office, President Trump issued an Executive
order that changed our immigration enforcement priorities. He gave ICE
the green light to aggressively pursue anyone without papers, not just
people who had committed serious crimes or posed a threat to our public
safety. My bill rescinds this cruel and counterproductive order.
Now, the Trump administration is deporting people who have lived in
the United States--sometimes for decades--playing by the rules,
providing for their families, starting businesses, and contributing to
their communities. In Nevada, almost 90 percent of undocumented
residents have been in the United States for more than 5 years.
These are people who own their own homes. They are people who pay
billions of dollars in taxes each year. Their children are citizens,
legal permanent residents, and Dreamers. They are our neighbors, our
coworkers, and our friends. The impact of this policy on American
families has been profound. Since President Trump signed his Executive
order, arrests of immigrants without criminal records have tripled.
The End Mass Deportation Act would make the administration focus our
law enforcement resources where they should be: on people who pose a
legitimate threat to our communities.
Historically, prosecutorial discretion was used to take into account
the compelling circumstances of an individual's case, like parents who
have U.S. citizen children and strong ties to the community or
individuals who have served in our military. As a former prosecutor, I
understand what an important law enforcement tool this is.
The President's mass deportation order ends that prosecutorial
discretion in our immigration system, taking
[[Page S3073]]
valuable time and resources away from pursuing criminals and other
security threats. Even worse, the order makes us all less safe because
it discourages people without documentation from turning to police to
report crime.
Put yourself in the shoes of an undocumented woman who is the victim
of domestic violence or someone without papers exploited at the hands
of an unscrupulous boss. When those crimes go unreported, our
neighborhoods suffer.
Listen, I recognize that we have a broken immigration system, but the
way to fix it isn't to persecute people like David whose biggest
offense is a traffic ticket. We need to pass comprehensive immigration
reform, but until we do and until we can come together in a bipartisan
way, we must rescind these Executive orders that are not moving this
debate forward in a useful way. Let's reverse this administration's
cruel and dangerous policy.
I am the first to tell you--and I see it every single day in my
State--immigrants enlarge our vision of who we live with, work with,
and worship with. By passing the End Mass Deportation Act, we will
remind all Americans that every generation of immigrants enriches the
fabric of our Nation and will provide the sense of security that every
family with undocumented members needs to thrive. I urge my colleagues
to support this act.
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. WICKER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order
for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
____________________
