Jim McGovern

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. McCollum) for the purpose of a unanimous consent request.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur) for the purpose of a unanimous consent request.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Caardenas) for the purpose of a unanimous consent request.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Garcia) for the purpose of a unanimous consent request.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Ms. Gabbard) for the purpose of a unanimous consent request.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. O'Rourke) for the purpose of a unanimous consent request.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Napolitano) for the purpose of a unanimous consent request.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Honda) for the purpose of a unanimous consent request.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Nolan) for the purpose of a unanimous consent request.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Kennedy) for the purpose of a unanimous consent request.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Massachusetts (Ms. Clark) for the purpose of a unanimous consent request.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Massachusetts (Ms. Tsongas) for the purpose of a unanimous consent request.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Matsui) for the purpose of a unanimous consent request.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Castor) for the purpose of a unanimous consent request.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from New Hampshire (Ms. Kuster) for the purpose of a unanimous consent request.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee) for the purpose of a unanimous consent request.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, let me make clear to the House that if we defeat the previous question, I will offer an amendment to the rule to bring up H.R. 15, our immigration reform bill. At this point, I would like to yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Doggett) for the purpose of a unanimous consent request.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Slaughter), the ranking member of the Rules Committee, for the purpose of a unanimous consent request.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hinojosa), the chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

Mr. McGOVERN. I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Grijalva).

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. O'Rourke).

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lofgren), the ranking member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Crowley).

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I enter into the Record the story of a 15- year-old Salvadoran boy who has requested asylum because local gang members threatened to kill him after he refused to sell drugs for them. Pangea Legal Services Client Story Jose is 15-years-old. He grew up in El Salvador with his grandparents. His parents immigrated to the United States when Jose was still a toddler, and he had not seen them since. Jose considered his grandparents as his parents and wished nothing but to continue living with them and his little brother. In April 2013, at age 14, Jose was forced to flee his country after gangs threatened to kill him if he didn't sell drugs for them. The family suspects that Jose was targeted by the gang because Jose's uncle is the mayor of the small Salvadoran town, and has attempted to establish rehabilitation and anti-gang programs for several years. Jose is in removal proceedings and his asylum application is currently pending with USCIS.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, my House Republican friends never cease to amaze me. Once again, House Republicans have turned control of their agenda to Senator Speaker Ted Cruz. The last time they did this, they shut the government down, and look at how that worked out for them. Some people never learn. Mr. Speaker, it is not enough that House Republicans, despite Speaker Boehner's promises of a more open House, continue to block consideration of comprehensive immigration reform. No, they need to go even further. Last night, after a lengthy meeting with Senator Speaker Cruz, House Republicans caved in a desperate and partisan way and produced an extreme bill that would prevent President Obama from building upon the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. This bill was introduced last night. It has never had a hearing, but here it is. Mr. Speaker, House Republicans are victims of their own shortsightedness. In their attempts to placate the fringe elements on the far right, especially as the November elections grow closer, House Republicans continue to refuse to bring up any kind of comprehensive immigration reform bill. Of course, the Senate passed comprehensive immigration reform overwhelmingly, and we know that the bill would pass this House if it were brought up for a vote. Mr. Speaker, this process is absurd. The bills we will consider today are cruel and cheap political stunts. They would do nothing to alleviate the crisis and merely serve as political cover, and what is worse, the Republicans are playing games with the lives of vulnerable children. Further, the supplemental appropriations bill is a sham. It does not even come close to addressing the humanitarian crisis on our border. It provides nothing in terms of necessary resources for the Border Patrol, HHS, Homeland Security, and our immigration system to give these children and their families the attention that they need. The policy is bad enough. The process absolutely stinks. The deal the Republican leadership cut with the hard right is this: if you want the opportunity to vote for a nasty bill to block expansion of DACA--which has absolutely nothing to do with the crisis on the border--then you have to vote for this terrible supplemental. No wonder the approval rating of Congress is at 7 percent. With stunts like this, I am surprised it is that high. I know this is an election season, but I plead with Republicans: let's not lose our humanity in this process.