Adriano Espaillat

Mr. ESPAILLAT

Mr. ESPAILLAT. Madam Speaker, for more than five decades, H. Carl McCall has always been a steward for public good and will go down in New York's history as a monument to public service. Before he turned thirty, McCall worked as a school teacher, served in the U.S. Army, and opened a church. This is a testament to his character and unbridled work-ethic. Born in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, McCall eventually made New York City his home, where his indelible impact is seen to this day. Spanning multiple administrations, McCall has been elevated to positions of greater and greater import. It is not lost on New Yorkers or observers of his body of work that he has risen to meet many daunting challenges and emerged successful. During his career in public service, McCall has served as New York State Senator, a delegate to the United Nations, Commissioner of the New York Division of Human Rights, President of the New York City Board of Education, and Commissioner of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. With his long list of roles and accolades, we cannot speak of H. Carl McCall without recognizing his groundbreaking achievement as the first African American to hold statewide office in New York State as Comptroller serving from 1993 to 2002. But for all his accomplishments, we all know that public education has always been a passion and priority since McCall was a teacher himself. As president of the New York City Board of Education under Mayor David Dinkins from 1991 to 1992, his vision guided policy for one of the largest public-school systems in the U.S. It was always his belief that public education was the incubator for personal growth and scholastic enrichment. This was exemplified in his leadership as the chairman of the Public Higher Education Conference Board and later member and chairman of the State University of New York (SUNY) Board of Trustees. He has served on the board since 2011 and has presided over a significant expansion of SUNY's academic curriculum and the diversification of its administration, faculty and student body. Over his long and distinguished career, McCall has been awarded nine honorary degrees, in addition to his own degrees from Dartmouth College, the University of Edinburgh and Master of Divinity from Andover Newton Theological School. He has also received the Nelson Rockefeller Distinguished Public Service Award from the University of Albany. On behalf of the New York Congressional Delegation in the U.S. House of Representatives in the 116th Congress, we want to congratulate H. Carl McCall on his retirement after ten years of service with the State University of New York Board of Trustees and thank him for his half- century of public service to New York and our nation.

Mr. ESPAILLAT

Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, today is a great day in our Nation as we live up to our most noble and altruistic ideals. Today, by passing the American Dream and Promise Act, we will again reaffirm that we are still a Nation of immigrants. Today, we follow a great tradition that goes back even before Ellis Island, when hundreds of thousands of, mainly European, immigrants from humble, poor beginnings reached our shores in an attempt to better their lives. They made us a more perfect union, strengthening the notion that we are still a nation of immigrants. With H.R. 6, young people and others who are students, teachers, nurses, caregivers, and members of our Armed Forces will be able to fully embrace the potential and live the American Dream, reaffirming that the United States of America is still a nation of immigrants. No one but two of our colleagues can say otherwise. Whether from red States or blue States, we all share an immigrant heritage in one way or another. Some came by force, shackled to their destiny, while others came fleeing violence, poverty, hunger, or in search of liberty and religious freedom. So many came to our Nation, and we are still, Mr. Speaker, a Nation of immigrants.

Mr. ESPAILLAT

Mr. ESPAILLAT. Madam Speaker, just 1 year ago, we learned of the Trump administration's cruel separation family policy. Separating immigrant children from their family is a violation of basic human rights and a betrayal of our values as a nation. In the wake of this terrible policy, my colleagues and I went to work and spoke out because, Madam Speaker, we are a nation of immigrants. I introduced the REUNITE Act, which would require the immediate reunification of children with their families. When we learned separated children were being held in a facility in my district, we worked to reunite them with their parents because we are a nation of immigrants. My office reunited four families, one of which I brought to the Capitol as my guest at the State of the Union to show the President that the people he tried to damage through this terrible policy are stronger than he thinks. Today, the other side of the aisle presented a false motion to recommit. We voted it down because we are, Madam Speaker, a nation of immigrants. This administration must own up to its failure, and my colleagues and I will continue to work to make sure this never happens again.

Mr. ESPAILLAT

Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize La Asociacion de Cronistas de Arte, or AcroArte, and congratulate them on their 25th silver anniversary. AcroArte was founded in 1993 by Dominican journalists who specialize in arts and entertainment and has celebrated the best and brightest in music, theater, film, and more. Together, they established the Soberano Prize, which was first called the Casandra, which showcases and rewards the best of arts and culture in the Dominican Republic. This prestigious recognition has helped artists gain a foothold among the Dominican diaspora, sharing the Dominican identity, culture, and values around the world. As more generations of Dominican Americans share their talents with this world, I look forward to AcroArte lifting them up. It is a privilege to welcome AcroArte here to the U.S. Capitol, and I congratulate them on their 25 years of success.

Mr. ESPAILLAT

Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Chairman, my amendment today lays before this House a very simple fact, an undeniable fact: Communities of color across this great Nation and, in fact, across the world are least responsible for climate change. They contribute far less to the carbon footprint of the world; they don't drive as many cars; in fact, they most often take public transportation. So they contribute less to climate change, and yet they suffer the most harm from its impact. The most vulnerable among us, from my home in Washington Heights, in Harlem and the northwest Bronx communities and around the world, are all experiencing greater impacts and stand to suffer even more. At home, I see it in the worsening of asthma rates among African American and Latinx children when parents come to my office looking for help for ballooning healthcare costs that they cannot afford. I see it with seniors who have an array of respiratory diseases, in many cases contributing to long illnesses, if not death. I see it in Central America, where extreme drought endangers livelihoods and has led to violence and outward migration. I see it in the Caribbean and even here in the United States, where climate change has increased the magnitude and frequency of hurricanes, affecting millions who do not have the capacity to prepare for worsening storms and have barely recovered from one before the next one hits. I see it in southern Africa and in south Asia and in small island developing states, where climate change affects food scarcity and access to clean water, damaging public health and increasing political instability and regional violence. Mr. Chairman, in the United States and around the world, climate change has an unequal impact on communities of color because it compounds existing injustices of racial and economic disparities. This is fundamentally unjust, Mr. Chairman. The amendment that I bring before you today is a very simple amendment, one that says that poor communities that are very often communities of color suffer disproportionately from climate change, although they do not contribute more to that ill. My amendment makes it clear that the Paris Agreement seeks to address issues of environmental justice and the disparate impact climate change is having and will continue to have on vulnerable communities and people of color. If adopted, I believe it will send a strong message, a very strong message that, with this bill, the United States of America's commitment to remain in the Paris climate agreement also means our agreement to address environmental injustices. When it comes to mitigating climate change, we cannot forget disenfranchised communities. We cannot forget communities of color. We cannot forget indigenous communities. We cannot forget low-income communities. We cannot forget climate refugees, and we cannot forget the children who will bear this burden when we are all gone. In every piece of legislation on climate change considered by this House, in every bill on environmental issues we pass, and at every hearing that we hold regarding this important matter, we must ensure that issues of environmental justice are equally addressed and that the disenfranchised communities and communities of color are heard, because, again, Mr. Chairman, they contribute far less to the carbon footprint, they contribute far less to climate change, and yet they suffer tremendously. So this is, fundamentally, an injustice.

Mr. ESPAILLAT. I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey.

Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Chair, I want to thank Chairman Engel and the leadership, Chairman Pallone, for working with me to advance this important issue. I want to, further, thank my colleagues who have cosponsored this amendment and are similarly dedicated to advancing environmental justice: Congress Members McEachin, Omar, Jayapal, Pressley, Carbajal, Cisneros, and Moore. Finally, I want to thank many other groups in my district that continue to advocate day in and day out for environmental justice, a strong and diverse coalition that I am proud to represent. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ESPAILLAT

Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I am grateful for this opportunity to speak. I thank Representative Clyburn for allowing me a few minutes to address a pressing issue before he assumes control of this Special Order hour. Last week, the President of the United States made politically motivated announcements that he will seek to cut U.S. aid to Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador, which together are commonly known and referred to as the Northern Triangle countries. In making his decision, the President cited asylum seekers--moms, children, seniors, and young men--who make up the migration patterns from these nations that reflect themselves at the southern border. As it turns out, Mr. Speaker, I was in the region with some of my colleagues from both sides of the aisle when the President articulated his plan to freeze foreign aid for this part of the world. This aid has effectively helped curb violence in El Salvador, forge economic hope, and furnish essential health and education programs there as well. While on this trip with key members of the Foreign Affairs and Judiciary Committees, we met with leaders from the region and El Salvador and discussed the relationship between the United States and their respective countries with great optimism. I will admit, Mr. Speaker, the manner in which our President views and discusses our regional partners stands in stark contrast to the security objectives and economic commonalities we discussed with his Central American counterparts. When our President rambles on about ``evil people'' pouring into our country and the millions and millions of dollars we are just giving these governments, comments that are not only racist in scope but patently false, he fails to understand that this very aid is our best approach and our best tool in addressing the migration patterns to the southern border. With our assistance, these countries can make tangible progress toward building an environment where their citizens feel safe, industry prospers, and people receive the essential services they need and deserve. When my colleagues and I were in Mexico, a country that perhaps has received more of the President's verbal attacks than any other country in the world, we discussed budding economic zones in the country and the sweeping development initiatives its new President Lopez Obrador has undertaken. We discussed the fact that less than 12 percent of the folks going back from the southern border to their countries of birth are from Mexico. We discussed the curtains of economic development that the Mexican President plans to put forward--not a wall, curtains of economic development: a rail line in the Mayan coast; reforestation of the southern border of Mexico; and infrastructure, very ambitious infrastructure projects close to the northern border. Perhaps we should look at that as a guide to what we should do here in our Nation. And having conversations about shutting down our border as we were there was not something very positive for our visit. In El Salvador, we met with ambitious, 38-year-old President-elect Nayib Bukele. He detailed his intentions to work more closely with the United States, specifically, to review and reevaluate Chinese influence and an agreement with China that he has inherited from the previous government. He also informed us that, because of our help, Mr. Speaker, homicide has gone down 50 percent in El Salvador. At one point, 104 people per 100,000 people were being killed, the highest homicide rate in the world. It is now down 50 percent--still a war zone, but down 50 percent. Young people are being recruited away from the gangs. What they really need now is a shot in the arm for economic development and jobs. That is what will help with the migration patterns that reflect themselves at the southern border. And this young President has captured the enthusiasm of the young people. He campaigned against corruption and violence; yet, while we were there, the President threatened to cut the aid to El Salvador. In fact, we should take what we did there to Guatemala and Honduras, because it is working. And it is clear, Mr. Speaker, that this is all summed up that the President fails to share our optimism that collaboration will lead to a solution in this region. He fails to register the miserable motivations that would prompt somebody to seek refuge for their families in an unknown country thousands and thousands of miles away. People just don't get up and leave their families and neighborhoods. They do that because they are facing violence, because they are facing abject poverty, because they are facing natural disasters. The President fails to understand that. He fails to understand, Mr. Speaker, that Chinese and Russian influence in Central America is growing and that every step we take backwards will result in two steps forward for them and will leave a vacuum of leadership in the region. Right now, the President is simply failing--failing the American people and failing our allies. I look forward to reviewing this issue this week when the Foreign Affairs Committee holds a hearing on the administration's failed policies in Central America. We must hold him accountable. Mr. Speaker, I again want to thank Whip Clyburn for allowing me some time to address this issue on behalf of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus in lieu of our monthly Special Order hour, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ESPAILLAT

Mr. ESPAILLAT. Madam Speaker, President Trump continues to push for his useless, medieval wall along the southern border in defiance of Congress, despite a bipartisan vote in the House of Representatives and the Senate to reject this fraudulently invoked emergency declaration which would rob taxpayers' funds from other programs. Congress has asserted its authority, but the President is using every tool he has in his toolbox for his pet project. Let me remind the American people: There is no emergency at the southern border or anywhere else that warrants this wall. The head of the U.S. Northern Command, who is responsible for troops on the border, testified that border crossings do not pose a military threat. The refugees arriving on our border are families: mothers and fathers with their children. They are willingly turning themselves in to request asylum from the violence and harassment from gangs they face in their home countries. No wall no matter how high it is built would change that reality. Madam Speaker, this is nothing more than a naked power grab, and if my colleagues on the other side of the aisle truly stand for limited executive power, I expect them all to vote to override the President's veto today. Madam Speaker, there is no emergency on the southern border.

Mr. ESPAILLAT

Mr. ESPAILLAT. Madam Speaker, New York suffered a heartbreaking loss with the passing of Donald Herbert Eaton, Jr., a Harlem native, a Korean war veteran, and an accomplished community activist. His life was marked by selflessness and perseverance, common threads that guided him to serve his community and his Nation. He was raised in a tough environment. Discrimination was at its peak. Yet, when his Nation called on him, he went to war and served honorably as a member of the 369th ``Harlem Hellfighters'' Infantry Regiment. Upon his return, Eaton's longstanding commitment to service led him to spend 20 years leading efforts to help those in need: veterans, seniors, and the underprivileged. Madam Speaker, may he rest in peace and may God comfort his children, Donald Eaton III and Geoffrey Eaton, Sr., and his two grandchildren, Geoffrey Eric Eaton, Jr., and Geoffrey S. Eaton III.

Mr. ESPAILLAT

Mr. ESPAILLAT. Madam Speaker, as the whip of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, I am pleased to lead our second monthly Special Order hour. Last month, my colleagues and I spoke about the importance of comprehensive immigration reform. Since then, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Immigration Task Force, led by Congresswoman Linda Sanchez of California, drafted a set of immigration principles, which our caucus has now adopted. We plan to use these as a guide as we work on developing a comprehensive immigration reform proposal. Chief among these principles is a timely path to citizenship for Dreamers and a permanent solution for those with temporary protected status and deferred and forced departure. Democrats made an important commitment to these communities. After a failed attempt at a bipartisan solution for Dreamers and TPS recipients last year, and again a few weeks ago, we said that if we regained control of the House, we would move quickly to fix this. Democrats have spent the last few weeks working just on that. In particular, two of our CHC colleagues, Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard and Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, along with Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, have been putting together a proposal that will provide overdue needed relief. Their Dream and Promise Act, H.R. 6, will be introduced next week. We are also grateful for the time and effort they have put into this critical legislation. That is why we wanted to take this month's CHC's Special Order to focus on Dreamers and TPS recipients. These are unique groups within our broader immigration community and their current plight--the uncertainty of their status--is entirely the fault of President Donald Trump and actions he took against them. For Dreamers, the American people have heard us talk about them for many years, but I think it serves reminding just who those folks are. Dreamers are mostly young adults whose parents brought them to this country when they were minors. They do not have legal immigration status in the United States. They are undocumented, just like I was once. They came here through no fault of their own. For the vast majority of them, the United States of America is the only country they have ever known. A good number of them grew up not even knowing they were in immigration limbo and at risk of being deported. Some only found out when they applied to college. Just think about that, Madam Speaker. You are a young high school student with your whole life ahead of you. You have dreams and aspirations for future careers and you are excited to take on a new chapter of your life. Then one day you find out that you are one of those undocumented folks you have been hearing about. There is now a barrier to your ability to get a higher education, to get a good job, to establish yourself in our society. President Obama recognized this injustice and he created a program that would give Dreamers relief from deportation, known as the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA. This gave them some sense of certainty, and, most importantly, it gave them the legal status they needed to pursue an education and career, to buy a home, and begin raising a family. Nearly 800,000 individuals across the country receive DACA, and thousands more were still eligible. But President Trump abruptly chose to end the program as part of his anti-immigrant policies. Not only is this cruel and unjust, it is economic malpractice. According to the Center for American Progress, ending DACA will cost our GDP $460 billion. Let me say that again, Madam Speaker. Ending DACA will cost our GDP $460 billion. That is because it will mean removing 685,000 workers out of the workforce. If President Trump wants to promote economic growth, as he says, then why would he make such a horrible decision? I leave it up to the American people to sort out that mystery. Perhaps they can do it at the ballot box in a couple of years. TPS recipients. Now, what is worse, Madam Speaker, is that Dreamers aren't the only group President Trump has decided to throw into legal limbo. Over the course of his 2 years in office, the President has ended also temporary protected status. I know you know that very well, Madam Speaker, because you represent the State of Florida. For thousands of individuals, the temporary protected status has been attempted to end. TPS is an incredibly important program. It allows individuals to stay and remain in the United States for an extended period of time if some emergency erupts in their home country that prevents them from being able to return. TPS has been using cases of severe natural disasters, as well as armed conflict. Only a few countries have been granted TPS. The program is so important because it allows these people, who would otherwise be in limbo for an unknown amount of time, to live their lives here in the United States, giving them the ability to work and establish themselves. Some countries have been designated under TPS for many, many years and are still not safe for individuals to return back home. That is why it has been routinely extended by Presidents of both parties. This is not a Republican or a Democratic program. Presidents of both parties have extended TPS. TPS holders are established members of our communities. They are workers, they are homeowners, they are our neighbors and they have children and families that have built their lives here. They deserve to stay, Madam Speaker. And the truth is our economy really needs them. More than 300,000 individuals are currently beneficiaries of TPS, but they account for more than $10 billion in spending power in our economy according to CAP. They pay local, State, and Federal taxes. Once more, so many TPS holders are the parents or relatives of thousands of U.S. citizen children, children who deserve to have their families stay together. In conclusion, Madam Speaker, families belong together. Whether they are separated at our border, whether they came here with a young child who only recently learned he or she was undocumented, whether they cannot return to a nation that is not able to receive them, they deserve to stay together, and they deserve to remain here in the United States, the place they now call home. During the rest of this hour, you will hear from a number of CHC colleagues from across the country about how important Dreamers and TPS recipients are to their respective districts, how these hardworking individuals are part of the very fabric of communities they represent. I look forward to hearing from them and sharing their stories with you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I yield to my colleague from the State of Illinois (Mr. Garcia) whose State is home to nearly 3,000 TPS holders and more than 42,000 DACA recipients. The GDP law, if DACA were to be removed, is $413 million, and TPS spending power in that State is $91.7 million.

Mr. ESPAILLAT. Madam Speaker, let me just share some numbers with you from respective States across the country. The number of TPS holders, for example, in the State of California, over 50,000 of them; in your home State of Florida, Madam Speaker, over 44,000 of them; in Illinois, close to 3,000 of them; in Massachusetts, over 5,000 of them; in New Mexico, no data, but fewer than 1,500; in New York, over 25,000 of them; in Texas, over 46,000 of them. And the children living with these TPS recipients are, in California, over 43,000; in Florida, again, over 37,000; in Massachusetts, over 3,000; in New York, over 23,000; and in Texas, 49,000 children are living with TPS recipients. DACA recipients are also in large numbers. In the State of California, you have close to 223,000 DACA recipients; in Florida, close to 33,000 recipients; in Illinois, Madam Speaker, you have close to 43,000 DACA recipients; in New York, 41,000. So these are huge numbers for people who are so important to the fabric of our country, and that is why we are here to support them, because families that stay together are stronger together. When a family is divided, our Nation is weaker; when our family is together, our Nation is stronger. Mr. Speaker, I yield to my colleague from Florida (Ms. Mucarsel- Powell), whose State is the home State to 45,000 TPS recipients and nearly 33,000 DACA recipients

Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, as has been said here tonight, bringing relief, permanent relief to DACA recipients and TPS beneficiaries must not be delayed. Comprehensive immigration reform cannot continue to be delayed. That is why I am so happy, as I mentioned earlier, that in a week or two, H.R. 6, the Dream and Promise Act, which promises to bring about comprehensive immigration reform in many ways for DACA recipients and TPS recipients and other immigrants, will hit this floor. We are hoping that all our colleagues from both sides of the aisle will recognize that this is an important effort to finally bring over 800,000 young people permanently to the United States, young people who are teachers, nurses, police offers, members of our Armed Forces. They are business owners. They purchase their own homes, in many cases. These are important members of our communities across the country, and we must allow them to stay in the United States of America. TPS recipients, many of them cannot return back to dangerous settings in their homeland. Many of them, their countries are reeling from natural disasters. It would be a travesty if we send them back home. They must be allowed to stay here in the United States of America. This is an important moment in our time. Families that stay together are stronger; families that are divided are weaker. Our country is made stronger when a family is together. That is why I am asking all in this Chamber from both sides of the aisle, next week, to support H.R. 6, the Dream and Promise Act, which will finally bring relief to many, many young people and undocumented people from this Nation, as well as TPS recipients will finally breathe some fresh air and be able to stay here in this great Nation. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ESPAILLAT

Mr. ESPAILLAT. Madam Speaker, the Dominican Republic lost one of its brightest stars this week, with the passing of singer and composer Froilan Antonio Jimenez, known in the artistic world as Anthony Rios. Rios' ascent was rapid due to his remarkable work ethic, perseverance, and an undeniable God-given talent. Even as a child, Rios demonstrated a unique ability to intertwine music into his life. As a young shoeshine boy in the city of Hato Mayor del Rey, Rios would serenade his customers. During Christmas season, he sang Christmas carols door to door. The world and the Dominican Republic have lost a true talent. May he rest in peace and may God comfort his friends, family, and all those who knew and loved him dearly. He will be missed. ``Rest in peace,'' ``De descanse en paz,'' Anthony Rios.

Mr. ESPAILLAT

Mr. ESPAILLAT. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the 175th anniversary of Dominican independence and the birth of the first country I call home. On February 27, 1844, the founding fathers of the Dominican Republican, great statesmen and lovers of freedom and democracy, raised the flag of a new republic in Santo Domingo and proclaimed their independence from Haiti, bringing another democratic republic into the family of nations. In the words of Dominican icon and independence leader Juan Pablo Duarte: ``Love of country led us to make sacred commitments with the next generation,'' and the commitments that he and his fellow patriots made 175 years ago live on in the hearts of every Quisqueyano, whether they are still on the island of their birth or whether they have made a new home abroad. Today is the day for all of us to celebrate the contributions of the Dominican people, just as my compatriots celebrate their independence throughout the country.

Mr. ESPAILLAT

Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, less than 2 weeks ago, after a failed attempt to establish consensus on border security funding, President Trump, a self-proclaimed master negotiator, failed to get a border wall that he originally said Mexico will pay for, so then he fraudulently invoked a national emergency declaration to rob taxpayers of funds from other programs. The President's brazen decision not only violates Congress' constitutional powers of the purse laid out in Article I, Section 9, Clause 7, it is also a fabricated emergency propped up by fake statistics, racist undertones, and the blatant hypocrisy of a party that had complete control of Washington for 2 years and didn't see fit to fund this useless, medieval wall themselves. By diverting funds from military projects, the President has determined that national security takes a backseat to his political priorities. Today, in the Senate, the head of the U.S. Northern Command said that border crossers do not pose a military threat. Mr. Speaker, there is no emergency.

Mr. ESPAILLAT

Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Chairman, I thank Chairman Engel for allowing me this opportunity. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.J. Res. 37, in which Congress will finally reclaim its constitutional authority over the power to declare war and will finally address the terrible suffering happening in Yemen. For 4 years, we have aided the Saudi-led campaign in Yemen, which has contributed to the gravest humanitarian crisis in the world, a man-made crisis that we could help alleviate, rather than contribute to. This is 4 years too long. The Trump administration has cozied up to the Saudis, ignoring the harm they cause in Yemen and their egregious violations of human rights. The President has expressed his personal affirmation for the Saudi Kingdom on several occasions, saying, ``They give us a lot of business,'' and, ``They've been a great ally to me.'' Trump and those opposed to this resolution have argued that our ties to Saudi Arabia are too precious and that our cooperation on counterterrorism and countering Iran would be jeopardized by this resolution. But in December, when discussing an earlier version of this resolution, Senator Lindsey Graham wrote the following: ``The fear that the Saudis will stop cooperating with the U.S. on terrorism or Iran isn't rational. Those threats pose as much of a danger to the Saudis as they do to America. Demanding better from allies isn't downgrading the relationship; it's a sign that Americans take our principles seriously and won't be taken advantage of by anyone, friend or foe.'' Mr. Chairman, I urge Congress to reassert its constitutional authority to work to end the suffering of millions and to pass this war powers resolution. This is what it is.

Mr. ESPAILLAT

Mr. ESPAILLAT. Madam Speaker, Nilda L. Wilson has been a longtime leader in the Dominican community. She was among the original co- founders of many non-profit charities including the Dominican Medical Society Women's Chapter, Dominicanos Pro-Ayuda A La Ninez, and many more philanthropic activities supporting the community. Nilda L. Wilson with her husband Dr. James A. Wilson, have for over 40 years managed and operated one of the earliest Dominican medical practices in Washington Heights in New York's 13th Congressional District. They were among the first Dominican medical practices in Northern Manhattan first established in 1966 on the corner of 178th St. & Audubon Ave. and remained in the same location serving the Dominican community through their retirement in 2006. Nilda L. Wilson has always felt a strong and enduring responsibility to care for those in need of health care especially in Washington Heights and Northern Manhattan. Ms. Wilson and Dr. Wilson have maintained and strengthened their ties to the Dominican Republic helping sponsor medical students and trainees coming to the United States. Nilda L. Wilson and her remarkable family have reached extraordinary professional success and continue to give back to the Dominican- American community.

Mr. ESPAILLAT

Mr. ESPAILLAT. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and celebrate the elevation of Judge Mary V. Rosado to the New York State Supreme Court, the highest-ranking court in the State of New York. Judge Rosado is a lifelong resident of Manhattan and was raised in the Jefferson Houses in East Harlem in New York's 13th Congressional District. From an early age, Judge Rosado was an omnipresent contributor to the local community organizing daytime summer camps in East Harlem. Before starting her legal career, she was a committed educator in the New York City Public Schools for seven years teaching Social Studies and English. As the oldest of ten children born to Puerto Rican migrants to the U.S., Judge Rosado has committed herself to scholastic achievement as a graduate of Hunter College of the City University of New York (CUNY) where she received her B.A. and M.A. and Fullbright Scholar in Cairo, Egypt before receiving her J.D. from Columbia University Law School. Judge Rosado through her professional and pro-bono work has become an acclaimed community activist and is the Founder and President of Friends of the West 59th Street Recreation Center Inc., Puerto Rican Bar Association, Dominican Bar Association, Women's Bar Association, Harlem School of the Arts, Inc., Amsterdam Action Community Association, Dominican Women's Caucus, and proud participant in the Mentor-Guardian ad litem program with the Civil Court of the City of New York. Judge Rosado has forged a thirty-year legal career which epitomized with the creation of her very own practice in 1998, the Law Office of Mary V. Rosado. Since then, she has served as Manhattan Civil Court judge and now ascends to serve in the First District of the New York State Supreme Court.

Mr. ESPAILLAT

Mr. ESPAILLAT. Madam Speaker, I am glad to see yet another member of our Congressional Hispanic Caucus presiding over the House this afternoon, as I had the distinct honor of doing yesterday. Madam Speaker, I have the privilege of serving as the whip of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus during this, the 116th congressional session, which is the most diverse in the history of this august body. This Congress, we celebrate the largest class of Latino Members of Congress in the history of the United States of America. We are proud of the diversity and the talent in our caucus. We boast about Members representing communities across our Nation, from as far as Guam to the Northern Mariana Islands; leaders from all walks of life--doctors, lawyers, labor organizers, teachers, clean-energy experts--leaders of all different Hispanic heritage, some born right here in the United States and others who came here with their families to pursue the American Dream from Mexico; from Puerto Rico; from Guatemala; from Cuba; some Portuguese; some Ecuadorian, as yourself, Madam Speaker; and, of course, from the Dominican Republic, as myself. As the CHC's whip, I want to showcase this incredible diversity of talent, expertise, and culture. That is why we are organizing these monthly CHC special order hours. Each month, Members of our caucus will join me to discuss a set of issues affecting Hispanic communities across America. The issue we are discussing tonight will come as no surprise to anyone: the need for comprehensive immigration reform. The Congressional Hispanic Caucus has been working over the past few weeks to lay out our border immigration reform principles, and we have been working closely with House leadership as policies are put forward on this critical issue. Tonight, you will hear from a number of colleagues in the CHC about why we believe we must fix our broken immigration system, but first, let me start with a brief history. Let me start with the history of a young Guatemalan mom named Yeni Gonzalez. Madam Speaker, last night in this very Chamber, we heard from the President of the United States, and, once again, he painted immigrants as violent criminals, claiming that the only way to keep America safe is a useless, medieval wall along our southern border. By all accounts, President Trump has made immigrants demons. He has demonized immigrants, especially undocumented immigrants, as a central theme of his presidency, and last night was, by no means, any exception. As a former undocumented immigrant myself, I see it as my mission to counter the many lies coming from the White House pertaining to immigrants. One of the ways we can do that is to introduce the American people to immigrants and to tell them our compelling stories. That is why I brought, as my guest, to the State of the Union this young Guatemalan mom, Yeni Gonzalez, one of the many people impacted by the Trump administration's hateful and heartless zero tolerance policy. Yeni and her family, as I said earlier, are refugees from Guatemala. Yeni is from a small agricultural town and grew fearful for her children's safety as violence continued to surge in her community and throughout Central America. In the face of break-ins at her home and worried that violent gangs would try to recruit her 11-year-old son, Yeni did what any mom would do, what any reasonable mom would do; She chose to seek safety. Yeni got herself and her children all the way through Mexico and up to Yuma, Arizona, where she was apprehended by Border Patrol. She was not charged with a single crime. No one pressed any charges against her. Still, she was taken into custody and placed in an immigration detention facility where our own American government treated her in ways in which we condemn other governments across the world for treating others. The facility she was held in became known as the Icebox, and I want to tell the American people what that is, the Icebox. Because it is so brutal and so uncomfortably cold, many immigrants who were held there called it the Icebox. According to Yeni, no one was given any food to eat for 2 straight days, not even her young children. A few days later, Yeni watched as her children were being released from detention, but she was forced to stay; and what is worse, no one would tell her where they were being sent to. Imagine just for a moment, Madam Speaker, you fled your home, the only place you have ever known, because it is no longer safe to be there, with your children. You travel a long journey, nearly 1,000 miles, just to get your kids to a place that is safe. You arrive in this new place hoping to find some security, and what happens to you? You are locked up in a freezing cell called the Icebox, given no food to eat, and have your children sent off without you knowing where they really are. You left a violent place to give your children a better, safer life, and you have them taken away from you. The horrors this woman was forced to suffer are beneath the values upon which this great Nation was founded. But despite the cruel policies of the current administration, the kindness and good will of the American people has not, for one moment, wavered. Yeni was eventually released and able to touch base with a relative in North Carolina. She found out her children were sent to a facility in my own congressional district in Manhattan, in Harlem. And through the work and support of volunteers, complete strangers who never met her before, just trying to do the right things and right the wrongs of their government, Yeni was driven all the way across the country. It was a cross-country trip that she took to finally reunite with her children. I was able to work with her attorneys and the foster care facility to finally reunite Yeni and her children. It was a touching moment for everyone involved to see Yeni finally reunited with her family. Those volunteers, they are the America that I have come to know and love. Those people who put their own needs aside to help a complete stranger whom they knew nothing about, only that she was in distress, represent the values that America stands for. As a father and as a former undocumented immigrant myself, I was proud to play even a small role in this incredible story. You see, Madam Speaker, a woman seeking refuge for the safety of her children is not some violent criminal, as was portrayed here last night by the President of the United States. No matter what he said here last night, Yeni Gonzalez is not a violent criminal. And if you have ever seen a mother in distress for the safety of her children, you know that no wall, no matter how high, will stop her. And now it is our duty to deal with the many immigration myths that were perpetrated on this floor last night as America watched. Now, let me say to you that I want to begin a bit of immigration myth busting, and I hope that President Trump and his acolytes at FOX News are watching because they could use this important lesson. We will start with my favorite, myth number one: immigrants are violent criminals--false. In fact, all immigrants, documented or undocumented, actually commit far less crime, lower rates of crime than any native-born Americans or any naturalized Americans like you and I, Madam Speaker. As you can see, this chart, published by the Cato Institute, shows that undocumented criminals commit crimes at far less than half the rate of native-born U.S. citizens. Undocumented immigrants commit crimes at even lower rates. Now, when you think about this, it makes perfect sense. So many immigrants come to the United States, in the first place, to flee strife in their own countries of origin. Why would anyone fleeing crime and violence just commit a crime in the new country that has harbored them? I don't know of any immigrant, man or woman, who leaves their house to go to work seeking to get arrested, to then be deported. That is a myth, and it is irrational. Myth number two: the number of undocumented immigrants is growing due to a porous southern border and people are flowing in--again, false. Not only has the number of undocumented immigrants decreased over the past few years, but the way most undocumented immigrants arrive in the U.S. has completely changed from what it was just 15 years ago. The data shows that only half as many people arrive by crossing our border as those who legally enter the United States and overstay their visa, and the number of those crossing at the Mexican border continues to decrease. Finally, myth number three: there is a crisis at our southern border--again, false. As you can see right here in this chart, Madam Speaker, the data shows border crossings are at a historic low. Unlike what the President said here last night, unlike what he tweets on any given night, there is no crisis at the border. This has been fabricated. In fact, border crossings are at a historic low. Only a third as many people were apprehended and turned away from the border in 2017 as there were in 2005. The only crisis at the border is the humanitarian crisis that the President, himself, has created. So now that we have dispelled some of these myths, let's talk about what we need to do to actually fix our broken immigration system. First and foremost, we must protect Dreamers. Dreamers are young people who came here at a very young age. They are doctors; they are homeowners and small business owners; they are police officers; they are members of our Armed Forces; they are teachers--and they deserve to stay here in our Nation. Democrats have been talking about this for years, and President Obama did what he could in the face of Republican opposition to make sure that these young people have some stability and certainty. But President Trump cruelly chose to take that away, and the Federa courts had to step in and say: No, Mr. President, those young people deserve to stay here. Now he wants to use them as a bargaining chip, and we will not allow that to happen. Next, we must protect recipients of temporary protected status, TPS. The countries TPS recipients came here from are still dealing with extraordinary crises, and we can't just send them back en masse. They deserve certainty, too. Next, we have to address family separation and the need to improve family reunification. President Trump angrily refers to this as chain migration. We call it family unification, and we know that when a family is together, that family is stronger; and if that family is stronger, our Nation is stronger. So we want to continue to work to ensure that families are kept together, but what he doesn't understand is that our immigration system has been made stronger by allowing individuals to have their families here with them once they are permanent residents. If my colleagues on the other side of the aisle truly stand for family values, and family values has been touted by those folks on the other side of the aisle for decades, if they truly stand for family values, they should support the efforts to strengthen families and support family reunification policies. Finally, any reforms we make must reduce the outrageous backlog in processing applications for legal status. Over the past few years, we have seen waiting times grow and grow and grow. Since 2014, the average processing time for cases has nearly doubled. In some cases, by the time someone comes up, they have aged out of their situation, and now they are no longer applicable, making them no longer eligible for permanent legal status. This administration's backlog just adds more undocumented immigrants to our population and is the perfect example of how broken our system is. Over the rest of this hour, some of my CHC colleagues will talk more about the specific issues we must address in comprehensive immigration reform. Many of us agree that, to do the right thing by the American people, we must start from the same set of facts and establish a shared set of values. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ESPAILLAT

Mr. ESPAILLAT. Madam Speaker, Dr. Elsie M. Taveras, M.D., M.P.H. is Chief of the Division of General Academic Pediatrics and Executive Director of the Kraft Center for Community Health at Massachusetts General Hospital, Conrad Taff Professor of Pediatrics in the Field of Nutrition at Harvard Medical School, and Professor in the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Dr. Taveras is a board-certified Pediatrician, clinical epidemiologist, and childhood obesity researcher, whose focus of research is understanding determinants of obesity in women and children and developing interventions across to prevent obesity and chronic diseases, especially in underserved populations. Dr. Taveras has published over 190 research studies in her career thus far and has been cited by the Institute of Medicine, World Health Organization, White House Task Force Report on Childhood Obesity, and the USDA-HHS Dietary Guidance Development Project for Birth to 24 Months and Pregnancy. Dr. Taveras received the Public Health Leadership in Medicine Award from the Massachusetts Association of Public Health for her extensive work improving health and health care in community-based settings. Dr. Taveras was named Executive Director of the Kraft Center for Community Health, a national center devoted to improving health outcomes for underserved patients, families and communities developing and implementing culturally-competent interventions related to substance use treatment, cancer care equity, obesity prevention, and community health training.

Mr. ESPAILLAT

Mr. ESPAILLAT. Madam Speaker, the Honorable Danilo Burgos is the State Representative for Pennsylvania's 197th State House district and is the first Dominican-American to represent the neighborhoods in North Philadelphia of Fairhill, Kensington, Hunting Park, Glenwood, and Feltonville in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives; and elected in 2018 as the first Dominican-American to hold that seat in the legislature. Representative Burgos and his family have strong ties to Huntington Park and where Representative Burgos first became interested in social justice and community activism that led him to be a co-founder of the Philadelphia Dominican Grocers' Association to support and galvanize Philadelphia-area grocery and bodega owners like his family to engage with their communities and become informed and involved in American politics. Representative Burgos works with business and community leaders to create economic stability and safer communities in North Philadelphia, serving on the boards of the Eastern Pennsylvania Organizing Project, the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Visitation Community Center, and Proyectos Sin Fronteras, among others. Representative Burgos has made political engagement a priority placing an emphasis on highlighting and supporting political engagement; ``Get involved in what you care about--as a community, as a human being,'' Burgos said. ``Don't let others dictate your future.''

Mr. ESPAILLAT

Mr. ESPAILLAT. Madam Speaker, Justice Rolando T. Acosta serves as Presiding Justice of the New York Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, First Judicial Division. Justice Rolando T. Acosta over his many years of community service in Washington Heights and Inwood where Justice Acosta helped found the Latino Commission on AIDS, a leader in creating the Harlem Community Justice Center, and long-time supporter of Alianza Dominicana. Justice Rolando T. Acosta and his family as immigrants to the U.S. relied on the generosity and availability of community services and has made a commitment to working for groups including the Legal Aid Society where his judicial knowledge and personal experience resonate with members of the community seeking to better their lives. Judge Rolando T. Acosta is a proud graduate of Columbia College and Columbia University Law School and recipient of Columbia University's Medal for Excellence and Wien Prize for Social Responsibility, as well as the Latino Judges Association's John Carro Award for Judicial Excellence and previously been selected as Judge of the Year by the National Hispanic Bar Association.