Adriano Espaillat (00:00):
Today to cover this, our first press conference, an important one as we begin a robust debate about the future of our nation, but also about critical issues to our caucus and its members such as immigration, of course, economic development and artificial intelligence in addition to housing, health access to health care, education, etc. So these are all important issues to all of us. And starting with the first one, we all know that a significant number of executive orders have been issued rapidly by the new administration. We are concerned that some of them will hurt three major pieces of the immigration debate that I think very strongly are fundamental in the future debate of immigration and that bring us all together. They are Dreamers, farmworkers, and families. Everyone agrees and I believe that it polls extremely well across the country that Dreamers should be given the opportunity to continue to contribute to our economies and that their status should be regularized.
(01:33)
They are nurses, they are teachers, they're a small business owner. Some of them own their own homes and so they contribute tremendously to our economy. They've been here since they were 1, 2, 3 years old. Some of them don't even speak the language of the country where they came from and have no family connections there. So I think there's a general consensus in America that these young people, for the most part, should be allowed in and their status should be regularized. Farmworkers on the other hand, are critical not just to the economy, but if they continue to be scared and missing work because they feel they're going to get deported, it will show up at our dinner table. Believe me, it will show up at our dinner table and the prices of the fruits and vegetables and produce that they pick will dramatically go up. So if you think we have an issue with inflation, this will put it on steroids.
(02:39)
And finally, families must continue to stay together. A family that is split, a little girl, a little boy that's split from his or her mom eventually will become a very weak family and will be consumed by that dynamic. And when you have weak families, that translates into having a weak nation. So these three major linchpins are critical to this caucus and bring us all together, whether we are progressive, moderate, or a little bit more moderate. I think that dreamers, farmworkers and families bring us together. So we will be speaking about these three important items as the debate continues. And with that, I want to give the floor to the vice chair of our caucus, Congressman Ted Lieu.
Ted Lieu (03:40):
Thank you Chairman Adriano Espaillat for your leadership of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. I want to thank the CHC for being at the tip of the spear and fighting for one of the central reasons that makes America strong, immigration. I am foreign born. I'm a nationalized US citizen and I'm an immigrant and I'm damn proud of that, and immigrants have always made America strong and I want to focus on one issue, which is birthright citizenship. It is as American as apple pie that if you're born in America, you're an American. And I want to thank the CHC as well as the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Asian Pacific Caucus for issuing a statement very quickly after the current president's executive order on birthright citizenship opposing what he wants to do. And I want to talk about not only that, it's un-American, it's unconstitutional, but also the practical effects of that order.
(04:38)
If birthright citizenship no longer were the law of land, then what would happen is approximately 330 million Americans will no longer be recognized as citizens. They'll have to approve it. And guess what? Your driver's license doesn't show you're a citizen. Your social security card doesn't show you're a citizen. Your birth certificate will no longer show you're a citizen because it just shows where you were born. You're now going to have to find your parents' birth certificate. What if your parents passed away? You don't know where their birth certificates are. What if you're adopted? What if one of your parents is a citizen and one is not? So all of a sudden there's going to be this huge burden on millions and millions and millions. In fact, most Americans who can no longer show their citizens have to find paperwork to show they are. And then for new births, hospitals will have this incredible burden to find out, hey, are these parents citizens or not? So this executive order is not only going to be burdensome, it is ludicrous and it's unconstitutional.
Adriano Espaillat (05:42):
Thank you. Let me just stress there are other issues as birthright citizenship and TPS and others that are critically important to us. And one other sort of like housekeeping matter is that in the past the issue of immigration has been discussed without our presence at the table. We intend to change that. We demand that we are at the table when it's being discussed because it impacts our communities disproportionately so we cannot receive an item of which we have not been part of the discussion. We demand to be at the table in any and all discussions that involve immigration. With that, I give you our CHC Whip representative, Sylvia Garcia.
Sylvia Garcia (06:39):
Thank you Mr. Chairman, and thank you to all my colleagues who have joined us today. As you can see, we're here united, we're here strong and we're here ready to take the charge and move ahead. We will not be deterred, we will not be stopped and we will stay the course and we're going to stay the course and stand with all immigrants no matter when they got here and where they came from. Slovenia, South Africa, Mexico, you name the country, if they're here, they should be treated with dignity and respect and there should be a process that is followed. And I think that for me, as the sponsor of the Dream and Promise Act, my priority will always be making sure that Dreamers get the pathway to citizenship that they deserve and that they do it as quickly as possible. I'm heartened by the fact that the president has said that he wants to treat Dreamers differently and he hasn't said how.
(07:40)
And that is the question of the day. We know how he's going to treat TPS. We know how he's going to treat people that were born in this country and are citizens. We know how he's going to treat people seeking amnesty because probably about six of the over 50 executive orders that he's signed so far relate to some aspect of immigration, whether it's trade, whether it's vetting, whether it's birthright citizenship, a lot of focus. But we will put as much focus as that and more because we know we're representing millions and millions of Americans, new Americans across this country. So again, we will not be deterred. And I wanted to just say something about birthright citizenship. I guess it's the old judge in me. I think some people need to just sit down and read the damn constitution because frankly if you read it, there is just no question.
(08:46)
The founders were crystal clear after debates about who can vote and who can be a citizen, who can actually, you know… It's this whole, I want to decide whether or not you're an American, whether or not you can vote. They wanted to get rid of all that and they simply said, "All persons. All persons." Didn't even use a gender. "Born. Born." That means you were born in the United States or naturalized United States who are citizens of United States. Any one of you have a question about that? Pretty simple, right? It's easier than any civics exam or government exam or hell, it's probably easier than the citizenship exam that is administered to thousands of immigrants. So I don't know how this is even being questioned. Secondly, I want to say is remember it's an executive order. It's a piece of paper signed by the president, but it doesn't beat the constitution.
(09:48)
The Constitution is the core principles. It is what all other laws emanate from. It doesn't start from his piece of paper and then goes to the Constitution. It's the opposite. The Constitution is there and all law emanates from there, and this is one that really should be protected, that we will continue to make sure that it is challenged and I suspect that in the end it will be held unconstitutional. We need to make sure that we could keep an eye on this. There's so many other topics that we could talk about, and there'll probably be even more executive orders issued as the days go on. But rest assured that the Congressional Hispanic Caucus will keep the eyes on the ball and will always look to making sure that all immigrants are treated with dignity and respect and due process is followed. Thank you and I yield back.
Adriano Espaillat (10:47):
We will now hear from the vice chair of diversity and inclusion, representative Joaquin Castro from Texas.
Joaquin Castro (10:56):
Good afternoon everyone. I'm Joaquin Castro, proud to represent my hometown of San Antonio, Texas here in the House of Representatives. And I'd like to remind Donald Trump that the United States became the most powerful, most prosperous nation on earth, not in spite of immigrants, but because of them. The CHC stands united in working to protect dreamers, farmworkers, and families. While Republicans tear down what makes us stronger, we're fighting for equity, opportunity and an economy that works for everyone. Donald Trump and Republican politicians who embarked on a campaign to radically alter American society by stripping away constitutional, legal and civil rights, ending birthright citizenship, and pushing people into the shadows. On the campaign trail and in his first days in office, President Trump claimed that his administration is launching mass deportation campaigns to get criminals off the street.
(11:57)
The vast majority of undocumented immigrants are hardworking people who pay taxes and contributed to American society, some for decades. President Trump doesn't care about keeping Americans safe from crime. We know this because if he did, he wouldn't have released nearly 1600 violent criminals who were involved in the January 6 attacks. Vicious, dangerous, uncontrollable attacks, some of them against police officers with flagpoles, some who smashed their way into the capitol. President Trump says he's shutting down our border to stop the flow of fentanyl, but he just signed a full and unconditional pardon for a man who created the largest online drug marketplace in the world.
(12:48)
We can't be distracted by what he says. Look at what he does. He says he's targeting criminals, but he just removed the restrictions that stopped ICE from conducting raids on schools, on hospitals, and in churches. I would ask you who he believes among those kids is a criminal sitting in a first-rate class. Who are the criminals that he's going after in the Catholic church, in the Presbyterian church, in the non-denominational churches, who are those criminals? In the 20th century, mass immigration raids led to the deportation of more than a million US citizens. People who got wrapped up in immigration enforcement because of their color of their skin, their last name or the language that they primarily spoke. To be specific during these two mass deportation campaigns, the kind that he wants to model his policy after, there were between one and 2 million Latinos who had every right to be in the United States of America who ended up in Mexico. That is what Donald Trump seeks to repeat. We are going to stand up for families in this country no matter where they are, whether they're in San Antonio, they're in Florida, Nebraska, California, Chicago, wherever they are. Thank you. I yield back.
Adriano Espaillat (14:17):
Thank you. Again we stand together. This is a caucus that has members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, members that are part of the Congressional Black Caucus, CAPAC, Blue Dogs, New Dems, Problem Solvers. We got everybody. This is a big tent caucus, but we stand together and we're going to continue to stand together and take a stronger stand on this issue. With that, I give you the vice chair of communications, representative Norma Torres.
Norma Torres (14:54):
Thank you Chairman, and good morning everyone for being here. I stand here today not only as the representative of California's 35th District, but also as an advocate for an issue that defines our country, our values, and also shapes our future. I too am an immigrant from Guatemala. We are here to defend Dreamers, farmworkers, and families. And while Republicans undermine what strengthens us, we are fighting for fairness, opportunity, and an economy that works for everyone. The US is one of the most prosperous nations in the world. Thank you immigrants because we are the backbone of our economy, working tirelessly, starting businesses, paying taxes, and strengthening
Speaker 1 (16:00):
… strengthening communities across our country. Yet recent executive orders calling for mass deportations are nothing more than a political ploy. These policies do nothing, nothing to advance our economic growth. They do nothing to strengthen our nation or uphold our American values. Instead, they risk tearing apart families, destabilizing our workforce, and undermining industries that are critical to our economy.
(16:42)
Let's talk about the numbers. Immigrants make up 13.9% of the US population, but their economic contributions are extraordinary. In 2019 alone, immigrants led households paid over 492 billion, billion, in federal, state, and local taxes and wielded a 1.3 trillion in spending power. That is a muscle that the American economy cannot afford to lose. These dollars, they support our schools, infrastructure, small businesses in every corner of our country. Mass deportations will devastate key industries.
(17:40)
73% of farm workers are foreign born. Immigrants make up over 30% of the construction force. Policies like these will lead to labor shortages. They would cost our economy hundreds and billions of dollars in lost productivity over the next decade, not just four years, decades. This is not the America we aspire to be. What we need is comprehensive immigration reform, reform that creates a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants so that they can fully contribute to our American dream. At the same time, we must prioritize investments in smart, effective border security measures to protect our nation and ensure our laws are respected. These are the priorities. They are not exclusive to anyone. These are essential for a balance and forward-thinking immigration system. These goals are the foundation of a balanced, humane, and forward-looking immigration system. Immigrants are not just part of our past they are the key to our economic stability.
(19:07)
It's time for all of us, mothers and grandmothers to reject. To reject going back to children and mothers and families being held in an ice-cold freezer or separated at the border or in our communities. And I yield back to the chairman.
Chairman Espaillat (19:33):
Yes, we will now hear from our vice chair of policy, Representative Rob Menendez from New Jersey.
Rob Menendez (19:48):
Thank you, Chairman. It's great to be with all my colleagues and appreciate everyone coming out. What I think is important as we absorb what this administration is doing is remembering that they're not just policies and executive orders that are targeting this unknown population, they're targeting people in our communities, especially the communities that the folks on this stage represent. These are parents, children, uncles, aunts, who are going to be targeted and impacted by what this administration chooses to do and why it's so important that we stand together, unified against these harmful policies. Further, when they're coming into our communities for our neighbors, for our friends, for our family, they've said that no place is off-limit.
(20:34)
So think about that in your church, in your parish, in your community health center, in your children's school, you could have an ICE raid. So it's not just this group of people that's faceless, that's nameless. These are people that we interact with every single day and they're coming directly into our communities, into the places that are supposed to be sacred and safe for all of us, that's where they're coming. There is no end, there is no limit to their cruelty and to what they seek to do to us.
(21:02)
When we think about these stories, we're talking about people who on average have been here for over 15 years. I represent a district where over 40% of the people that live there were born outside the country. I've had interactions already before Trump's first day in office where a person who's been here most of his life, whose two adult children were born and raised here and who are American citizens, won't leave his house without one of them. A person who's contributed so much to our communities won't leave his house without one of his children because he's afraid of what could happen if he were to be approached, seized, held in detention by ICE and other federal authorities.
(21:41)
So we have a lot of work to do. This group knows the threat that is at our doorstep, but we're not going to be silent and we're going to fight for our communities, we're going to fight for the people who we call neighbors, and we're going to fight for a future for this country that is reflective of who we really are when we stand alongside each other, when we believe in each other, because this country has always believed in us. So now it's time for us to pay it back, to pay it forward, to make sure that we move this country in the right direction. So look forward to all the work ahead. Thank you, Chair.
Chairman Espaillat (23:01):
[foreign language 00:23:01].
(23:01)
With that, I give you Representative Nydia Velázquez from the State of New York.
Nydia Velázquez (23:08):
Good morning everyone. Thank you, Chairman Espaillat and thank you to all our colleagues. I think this is a great picture for the American people to see, all of us representing people in our communities are here because we care deeply. I always say that immigrants make America America. Think about that. Immigrants are the foundation of this country, and we going to be here to fight back and to make sure that they do not, that our constituents, our immigrants community will not become a political fight. This is about everyone coming together and doing right for this country.
(24:08)
And as so many of our members has stated, the economy is going to suffer. You want to talk about inflationary forces? Go and look at farmers that are fighting to find workers, or the construction industry, or the retail industry. I'm the ranking member of the Small Business Committee. Farmers are already reaching out to us, the construction industry is already reaching out to us, and in our communities, our school system, the public school system, school superintendents telling us that absenteeism is on the rise.
(24:56)
Think about that, that nothing is off-limits. That raids could go and happen in our public schools. That is the point. Cruelty, cruelty. You got to be heartless to say publicly that we going to send ICE to our school, heartless. And then to say that crime is on the rise because of immigrants that we want to make our community safer. While Republicans claim that these destructive deportations are in the name of law and order, they also just released hundreds of violence criminals like Enrique Tarrio, Stuart Rhodes and hundreds who were convicted of assaulting police officers on January 6th. Those people were criminally convicted and Donald Trump didn't care a bit about safer communities when he released those who were convicted of beating the shit out of police officers. So don't come to us and talk about security and safer communities when you do that. Well, Mr. President, convicted felon released 1,600 people, criminal. So let me [foreign language 00:26:47]
Chairman Espaillat (28:19):
[foreign language 00:28:18] Nydia. Again, I know that the narrative has been peddled that we fight amongst each other and we're divided. That is not the case. We have full discussions, democratic discussion internally just like any other group, but we stand together. And with that, I give you Linda Sanchez, Representative Linda Sanchez from California.
Linda Sanchez (28:43):
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and to all my colleagues who are here to stand up for our constituents and for our communities, and ultimately for our country. I'm Congresswoman Linda Sanchez from Southern California, and I am the daughter of immigrants, and I represent many working-class immigrant communities in Los Angeles County. People that are just like my family.
(29:05)
Back home, we understand the value of immigrants and the contributions that they make to our society, particularly in the workforce and our economy. Something billionaires President Trump and Elon Musk seem to understand when they need immigrants to run their companies and just as they rely on immigrant labor, so do average Americans, whether they know it or not, or whether they want to acknowledge it or not, because we have a real acknowledgement problem in this country.
(29:36)
From construction to agriculture, to healthcare to hospitality, immigrants are the backbone of many industries that keep our economy humming. In fact, immigrants contribute more than $1.6 trillion to our economy, and they pay nearly 600 billion, that's billion with a B, in taxes, nearly one in every six tax dollars that is collected. Yet despite their contributions, our communities are under attack from President Trump because he sees them as an easy target. Instead of following through on his promise to lower costs for American families, he's reinstating incredibly unpopular policies like family separation, terminating birthright citizenship, and other extreme executive orders. By spouting hateful rhetoric, many immigrants are now living in fear regardless of their legal status. Dreamers are worried that they'll be deported from the only country that they've ever called home. Families are worried that they're going to be torn apart. Children who go to school are afraid that they may come home to an empty house. They are afraid to go to church or even to seek medically necessary care in hospitals where they could be detained and deported thanks to President Trump. And media stated it correctly, it's out of pure malice and cruelty.
(31:08)
Workers are afraid to show up to their jobs, and you know what? They're not showing up to the jobs are going to be a huge, huge anchor on our economy because again, whether we want to recognize it or not, we depend on their labor. From the farm workers who grow and harvest our crops, if they're not in the fields, what do we think that's going to do to the price of groceries in this country? President Trump ran on a promise that he was going to lower costs, and these policies that he is pursuing are actually going to make costs go up for the average American family. How does deporting hospital and nursing home workers reduce healthcare costs? There is a premier medical research facility that provides care in the LA Region,
Linda Sanchez (32:00):
… and they depend on Dreamers. They have over 500 Dreamers that work in their facilities, whether they're radiologists, doctors, nurses, maintenance people, or even people who clean those hotel rooms, or, I'm sorry, those hospital rooms. They told me that if those Dreamers are deported, that entire health system will collapse. And who is going to pay the costs? Who's going to suffer? The people that they treat.
(32:28)
This country, and particularly Los Angeles, was built by immigrants, and we've had no relief to show our community for more than 35 years. I've been in Congress for 23 years and I've seen us throw money at enforcement, I've seen us increase all kinds of resources at the border, and we have seen zero relief for these immigrant communities. And we need these communities now more than ever. After the recent wildfires in Los Angeles, we're facing a daunting task of trying to rebuild what was leveled. Who's going to rebuild Los Angeles if we're deporting a huge pool of our workforce who are construction workers? What happens when they're deported? What do we think will happen to the cost of housing, which is already expensive enough? Without their skilled labor, the recovery will be much slower, and more expensive, and take much longer.
(33:29)
In California, we value the contributions that immigrants make to our country, and it's time that President Trump and MAGA allies in Washington D.C. realize that too. We have to acknowledge that immigrants work hard, pay taxes, and are members of our community, and they're absolutely critical for our economy.
(33:55)
And with that, I'd like to welcome my fellow Californian, Congressman Juan Vargas to the mic.
Rep. Juan Vargas (34:02):
Thank you. Thank you very much. My name is Juan Vargas. I represent San Diego, California. I represent the border. That's my district. I want to thank our chairman and all my colleagues here.
(34:18)
On Saturday, I was invited to go to Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in San Diego by the pastor there, Father Scott Santarosa, because he was going to take the Holy Eucharist and march it through the community there because so many people in his church or frightened to death, terrified of what's coming. And he asked me to join him, and I did. And I got to march with them, and they would stop every so often and someone would tell a story. And the stories were heartbreaking. We got back to the church, and at the church, they had a service, a prayer service, which was again very moving.
(34:54)
After that, I stayed and talked to some of the people because they wanted to. And a little girl came up to me, and she's probably about 12 years old. And I have two daughters myself, my wife and I, and she asked me, "Are they going to deport my mom?" And I wanted to tell her, like I usually do, reassure my kids and reassure people, I wanted to tell her, "No, they're not going to deport your mom." But I couldn't because they may deport her mom. In fact, they may deport her mom from the church itself. That's why this is so terrifying. And this, you hear all over the place. On Sunday, I went to the mass, the normal church that I go to, the mission church, and I heard the same thing once again. Because they know who I am, they told me, "Are they going to deport us? Are they going to separate us as family?" I couldn't tell them no, because I don't know what's going to happen.
(35:45)
What's happening is very sinful. But I know one Republican that's adamantly against. One Republican, and that's Ronald Reagan. I'm sure that he's up in heaven next to God saying, "I don't even recognize this party anymore." He's the one that signed Simpson-Mazzoli in 1986. He was always proud of that. He said, "These people are our neighbors. They take care of our families, our children. We should trust them." And he gave them an opportunity. What a terrible change that we've seen in the GOP, what used to be the Grand Old Party. We see meanness now. But I'm still hopeful that they'll change and come back. I'm hopeful because even they see the injustices when you separate families. And I hope they come back and they understand that our nation is a nation that's good, a nation that welcomes immigrants, a nation where if you work hard, you can do something with your life that's beneficial.
(36:57)
So again, I plead to my colleagues on the other side, bring some humanity back to this discussion. Look at these families. Do something positive. Don't follow that road that we know leads to destruction, disruption, and all these other things. Instead, take the good road. And I'm hopeful that they will.
(37:20)
Thank you. With that, I yield back.
Rep. Adriano Espaillat (37:23):
Thank you. Our next three members will be Representative Teresa Leja Fernandez, of course, from the state of New Mexico, as well as Representative Gabe Vasquez, and Representative Emily Randall.
Rep. Teresa Leja Fernandez (37:47):
[foreign language 00:37:47] I'm Congresswoman Teresa Leja Fernandez from the beautiful border state of Nuevo México, and I'm also Chair of the Democratic Women's Caucus.
(37:56)
For the past three weeks, Republicans and Trump have attacked immigrants, and I want to talk about how they are putting immigrant women at risk, and how they are putting the care for our children, the care for our elderly, and the care for our communities that immigrant women provide at risk. We've heard it earlier, that immigrants are key to certain sectors, and they are key to the care economy. Are economy depends on immigrant workers and women showing up so that other women can also go to work. And that becomes a downward spiral when we start deporting the women we depend on.
(38:54)
But let me tell you a story. An immigrant woman was beaten so severely by her partner that she ended up in the hospital. And this was work I used to do back when I worked on immigrant issues when I was in California. But we've heard it often and repeated, bloodied and scared, she was afraid to name her abuser because he had threatened her, "If you tell anyone, I'll get you deported. You'll never see your children again." The Trumpian bills that we have passed out of this house, and that he has sought, and that he has said he will move forward on, those Trumpian bills will give her and other abusers even more power. A simple accusation against her could lead to her detention and deportation even without a conviction or charges. And it isn't hypothetical. And that's why over 200 domestic violence groups have begged Congress, have begged Democrats and Republicans to stop this madness.
(40:09)
We already have laws to deport and jail immigrants who commit a crime. And if you really cared about crimes against law enforcement, you would be standing up and denouncing those Trump pardons. How dare they be quiet when the men and people who beat our Capitol Police and law enforcement officers are now being paraded around this Capitol? How dare they say they stand with law enforcement when they have let those violent thugs out of jail? And those are convicted violent thugs.
(40:45)
So this is not about safety. This is about fear. They want to have somebody to blame, and somebody to fear, and something to fear, and that is such a tactic of authoritarianism. That's a tactic that bullies bring. But that tactic is stripping dignity from immigrant women. Republicans are telling women, in essence, "We don't care about you. It's all right to beat and bloody you as long as you're an immigrant. And it doesn't matter if you're a Dreamer, if you have some legal status. It doesn't matter anymore. They can beat and bloody you, and if you dare fight back, we're going to deport you." Imagine the power they have now given to the bullies.
(41:40)
To every immigrant woman and every survivor of abuse, the CHC is there. We see you, we hear you, we stand with you. [foreign language 00:41:51] You deserve justice, and safety, and to live a life free of fear. The Congressional Hispanic Caucus is with you in that battle. Even when we can't reassure that small twelve-year-old child that'll be safe for now, but we ain't giving up. We're not. We stand united with you.
(42:16)
[foreign language 00:42:19]
Rep. Adriano Espaillat (42:20):
Again, Dreamers, farm workers, construction workers, hospitality workers, hospital workers, and families, Representative Gabe Vasquez.
Rep. Gabe Vasquez (42:40):
[foreign language 00:42:39] My name is Gabe Vasquez, and I'm a first-generation Mexican-American, raised in an immigrant family along the US-Mexico borderlands, in my hometown of Las Cruces, El Paso, in Juarez.
(42:51)
I've worked in almost every industry in our state, from working at the Chili factory in Deming to construction sites, working retail, and paying my way through school. Like many of our families, I face the challenges and struggles of homeownership, paying down medical debt, and so much more. And in a district like mine where poverty is high and opportunities are limited, people voted for a representative who understands their challenges and works to deliver real results. That's why, as a border Latino Democrat, I was able to win in a Trump district, by listening to my constituents, treating every community with respect, and making it less about politics and more about what matters to them in their everyday lives.
(43:33)
As a proud member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, I believe it's our collective responsibility to move past the divisive rhetoric and work with our colleagues to find the solutions that our Americans truly care about. Part of our responsibility is to lead the fight to fix our broken immigration system in a way that holds true to our American values, treats people humanely, strengthens our economy, and keeps our border safe and secure. That's why, like my colleagues, I am deeply concerned about President Trump's executive orders, especially his attack on the Fourteenth Amendment. Doing away with our constitutional rights doesn't just impact immigrants, it impacts all Americans. So sorry, Mr. President, but you can't rewrite the Constitution with the stroke of a pen.
(44:19)
Now, back in my district, I've done the work of meeting with immigrant families, ranchers, farm workers, small business owners, faith leaders, and law enforcement agencies, and all they want is the same thing, less posturing and more solutions that deliver for the American people. [foreign language 00:44:35]
(44:34)
There are opportunities for us to work with Republicans, such as fighting the cartels and coyotes who traffic women and children, provide an endless supply of drugs, and hurt our border communities. That's why I introduced bipartisan bills like the Stop Fentanyl at the Border Act to provide resources for customs and border protection to make sure that we can crack down on the cartels that are bringing fentanyl into every community in the United States, and the Humane Accountability Act, which ensures that migrant families and their children are kept together and treated with dignity while in custody.
(45:20)
But we can't talk about immigration without talking about the economy. Mass deportations will hurt every aspect of our economy and our society. Hardworking immigrants who contribute billions to our economy, to our family farms, to our rural small businesses, and our nation's emerging industries, deserve a fair shot at residency and citizenship. Fixing our immigration system is a matter of national food security, shoring up our healthcare system, recruiting our next generation of military service members who will protect our country and have already done so, and so much more. Hispanic families in my district work hard, yet still struggle to afford food, prescription medicine, car insurance, or buy a home. We have to ensure that the labor that they put into our economy allows them to raise healthy families and thrive with legal status.
(46:12)
[foreign language 00:46:14].
(46:29)
Our communities deserve leaders who focus on results, not more ways to divide us. Together, we can secure our border, grow our economy, and build an immigration system that reflects the best of who we are as Americans.
(46:43)
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I yield back.
Rep. Adriano Espaillat (46:46):
And finally, one of our wonderful new members of the CHC, Representative Emily Randall.
Rep. Emily Randall (46:56):
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm Emily Randall from Washington State, and I am proud to stand united with my colleagues in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus in support of Dreamers, in support of farm workers, in support of families. And I'm proud to stand in support of our communities with the people of Washington.
(47:13)
In Washington state where I was a legislator for the last six years, we know that immigrants make our communities stronger. That's why we've expanded our state financial aid programs to Dreamers and immigrants, because we know we cannot reach our workforce goals, our education goals, our economic goals, without ensuring that everyone has access to education and opportunity. We know that we're facing a healthcare crisis, and without ensuring that our immigrant communities are safe, and that Dreamers are being educated to become nurses and doctors, we will not be able to take care of our aging community, of our sick, of our vulnerable. We know that we have a housing crisis in Washington state, just like across the country. And without ensuring
Rep. Emily Randall (48:00):
… that our immigrant communities are safe, we will not be able to build the housing that we need. And just like everyone in Washington, immigrant families are struggling to afford rent. They are struggling to afford the chance to buy their first homes. And we need to ensure that we are building an economy that is thriving for all of us, from the middle out. I'm proud to be here standing alongside my colleagues against these dangerous attacks on our immigrant communities. On our neighbors, on our friends, on our fellow churchgoers, on our classmates in school, on our teachers, because a frightened community does not make our community safer. I've heard stories as I've talked to immigrant activists in our communities of folks who are scared to go to their jobs at fish processing plants in Grays Harbor. They're scared to go to their jobs in the timber industry on the Olympic Peninsula and they're concerned that there are rumors that ICE is seen at our Kingston Ferry terminals.
(49:06)
Folks are living in fear, and it is only forcing neighbors to live closed off, to not communicate with each other, to not feel safe to call law enforcement if they're facing abuse or if there's a crime on their street. We stand here united to ensure that everyone in our community is safe. Everyone in our community can trust that the government is looking out for them. Everyone in our community has the access to the tools that they need to build the lives that they dream of. I'm proud to be here with my colleagues and I'm grateful to all of you for being here with us as well. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Adriano Espaillat (49:54):
Thank you. [foreign language 00:49:54]. Questions? Go ahead.
Speaker 2 (49:55):
If I can ask a very specific question on New York. Do you find that Mayor Eric Adams' in response to threats at schools, in response to Trump's birthright citizenship action, I mean is he taking a hard enough stand and pushing back on this as you all seem to think that [inaudible 00:50:12] Democrats should?
Adriano Espaillat (50:14):
Well, he has said that the city of New York will not cooperate with the massive deportation apparatus that's about to be put in place. And so I will take that as meaning that sensitive locations like schools, emergency room, churches, funeral homes, will be just that, sensitive locations. Over here.
Speaker 3 (50:40):
[inaudible 00:50:40] from The Epoch Times Espanol. Is there any plan that you have as a Congressional Hispanic Caucus to do something for Dreamers? That's my first question. My second question is for Congressman Gabe Vasquez. Is there any also bipartisan initiative with the Republicans in terms of their security?
Adriano Espaillat (51:02):
Gustavo, Congressman Vazquez first.
Rep. Gabe Vasquez (51:07):
Thank you for the question. And look, I can say that the Biden administration and Democrats in Congress as well as Republicans in Congress have all agreed that border security means investing in smart ways, that means technology along the border. My bill, the Stop the Fentanyl at the Border Act, which is a bipartisan bill, proposes to invest billions of dollars in technology to shore up our ports of entry like mine in Santa Teresa. One of the things that the American public doesn't realize is that 90% of the drugs that come into this country are actually trafficked by American citizens through our ports of entry. And so inspection technology that actually uses AI technology and allows CBP agents at these ports to be able to interdict drugs before they come into this country, I believe is a bipartisan proposal that has been iterated in different pieces of legislation, including the Senate proposal that died thanks to President Trump during the last administration. And so I do believe that we have room to work with Republicans on smart investments on the border if they truly want to solve this problem.
(52:12)
But it has to start with dialogue and conversation with them. But I believe technology at the border, especially at our ports of entry, is one thing that we can both agree on. Thank you.
Adriano Espaillat (52:22):
On Dreamers.
Sylvia Garcia (52:24):
I'm Sylvia Garcia and I'm from Houston and I'm the sponsor of The Dream Act. We never stopped doing anything. We continue to fight to get the Dream and Promise Act passed. As you know, it's passed the House a couple of times. It just fails to get out of the Senate. In the Senate, even on the one that just passed yesterday. I just keep forgetting the-
Speaker 3 (52:49):
[inaudible 00:52:50].
Sylvia Garcia (52:49):
… The Laken Riley Act, I mean we worked on an amendment in the Senate to try to tack that on. Of course, it did not get through so I don't stop. Any opportunity I can to continue to remind everyone, especially the Republicans, the Dream and Promise Act polls as high as 80% of Americans saying that Dreamers should be protected and that Dreamers deserve a pathway to citizenship. It's just that 50% of the people here aren't listening, aren't listening. When are we going to get 80% of Americans to agree on anything these days, right? Well, guess what? Dreamers. So I will keep working, as I said earlier today, tomorrow until my last breath, until we get that done.
Adriano Espaillat (53:38):
And that will be one of our priorities. Right here and then over here.
Speaker 4 (53:42):
Mr. Chair, Mr. [inaudible 00:53:44]. Republicans are talking about putting a government funding package together that includes wildfire government funding, debt limit and border provisions. The border provisions [inaudible 00:53:56] for the Hispanic Caucus?
Adriano Espaillat (53:57):
Well, first of all, the other side of the aisle is looking to do a lot of dastardly things at the appropriations table, including raid Medicaid funding so they can provide tax cuts to the very rich and they can fund their deportation apparatus. And so we will be discussing these items that I highlighted, Dreamers, farm workers and families, at every juncture of government here, whether it is the appropriations process, reconciliation, debt limit. At all levels of discussions, we will be bringing these three elements that bring us all together, all the folks that you saw over here. There are other issues that are just as important, if not more. Birthright citizenship, TPS and others. But those three, as Sylvia has said, Dreamers poll in 80%. It's a low-hanging fruit. No one should be having an adversarial discussion about that. So we will continue to bring it up at every opportunity we get. [inaudible 00:55:06].
Speaker 5 (55:06):
So you have 46 Democrats voted yesterday for the Laken Riley Act. More voted for the Preventing Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act. Leader Jeffries has said Democratic members are voting with their districts. But I'm wondering, do you think that Democratic leadership should be doing more when it comes to these and similar immigration bills such as what the members and other initiatives?
Adriano Espaillat (55:28):
Democratic leadership met with us yesterday, and I think that they also agree that Dreamers, farm workers and families are three linchpins that are so important to our caucus. Not just the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, but the Democratic Caucus in general and that those will bring forward some consensus. Now we're a very large, huge tent caucus and we have people from all walks of life and so reaching consensus is often not easy. But I think with those three linchpins, we can do that and I think leadership will be behind us. Right here.
Speaker 6 (56:06):
I'm Maya Miller from The New York Times. To piggyback off of that, I guess, how are you planning to support this big tent of people that you have from different walks of life, like you said, and support frontline members like Mr. Vasquez, while also holding true to the principles and values of the CHC as President Trump [inaudible 00:56:27]?
Adriano Espaillat (56:28):
Oh, I think that, for example, we will be in the future, very near future, meeting with the advocates. I think it's important that we also strengthen our position from the voices outside of even our very own districts from across the country and we will be doing that. We will be meeting with the labor unions. I think it's important that we meet with labor as well and they play an important role in this discussion. So we be reaching out far beyond our ranks to build consensus and to strengthen our voice as a caucus. I think we will accomplish that. And Mr. Vasquez just explained to you how he sees that the importance of border protection in his own particular district. And we could all agree that the border could be in better state, but we also agree that Dreamers, farm workers and families are important as well. Over here.
Speaker 7 (57:27):
Are you working with school districts to combat ICE raids [inaudible 00:57:32]?
Adriano Espaillat (57:30):
[inaudible 00:57:34].
Rep. Emily Randall (57:34):
Sure. Yeah.
Adriano Espaillat (57:34):
[inaudible 00:57:36].
Rep. Emily Randall (57:37):
Well, we're a border state with Canada and our school board members, our Washington State school superintendent, our legislature, have all been engaged in conversation with our governor and attorney general and advocates and I've been engaging in some of those conversations too. Every state is different for what protective opportunities that they have. But I think it's important that we ensure that we are working closely with our colleagues at the state level and at the local level to center families, to make sure our communities are strong. To center farm workers, to center an economy that is thriving to ensure that Dreamers are safe in the classroom. And someone earlier mentioned the chronic absenteeism, that's a conversation, a bipartisan conversation, that we've been having since COVID. How do we bounce back from chronic absenteeism and challenges in our schools? And this is only exacerbating that problem. This is only making students feel less safe in their classrooms and families less safe sending their kids to school.
(58:50)
In 2017 and 2018 we, in fact, saw a grassroots effort of neighbors, non-immigrant neighbors, who would drive their big trucks to some families' homes to escort them to school because they were worried about what might happen on the way. And now that schools are no longer safe, folks are even more concerned so we are having some of those conversations, but have to continue.
Sylvia Garcia (59:14):
[inaudible 00:59:15].
Adriano Espaillat (59:14):
Okay, yes.
Sylvia Garcia (59:16):
I just want to quickly add, again, I'm Sylvia Garcia from Texas. Until we see how these raids are conducted, remember, I think they just started this morning. Some images were beginning to be on air. We can't combat, to use your words, raids that we don't really know yet. I think what the best thing that we can do right now is again, monitor and speak up when we need to. And I know in my district I have probably about 12 different school districts, but we've touched base with all of them and we've embarked on an education campaign to make sure that the school districts know what they should or shouldn't do. Working together with their legal counsel and then making sure that people know their rights. Just because ICE comes knocking on the door doesn't mean you have to open it. Just because they send a Marine down there, I don't know what they're going to do with them. But just because they're going to send them to school doesn't mean the school stops so I think there's some dos and don'ts.
(01:00:22)
There's some rights and responsibilities and what's important is an education campaign and that's what we're doing now. Now if we see something egregious, obviously we're going to speak up and we'll work with all our local advocates, they are already also monitoring and helping. And we're doing a series of workshops on Know Your Rights. I'm doing one Saturday, and then I'm doing one I think Thursday. So most of my district work week will be about making sure that my constituents know their rights and responsibilities.
Adriano Espaillat (01:00:55):
Thank you and the CHC has put together a Know Your Rights-
Sylvia Garcia (01:00:59):
Oh, the toolkit.
Adriano Espaillat (01:01:01):
… pocket card in different languages.
Sylvia Garcia (01:01:03):
A toolkit.
Adriano Espaillat (01:01:05):
And it's a toolkit that we will be disseminating across the districts. Thank you so much for all being [inaudible 01:01:12].
Speaker 8 (01:01:12):
Question about the toolkit actually. Can I ask a question?
Sylvia Garcia (01:01:13):
Just very quickly, please.
Speaker 8 (01:01:13):
Okay, sorry.
Sylvia Garcia (01:01:13):
It's [inaudible 01:01:17].
Speaker 8 (01:01:17):
So where do people get information-
Adriano Espaillat (01:01:19):
Go ahead.
Speaker 8 (01:01:20):
… with your collected effort? Where do they know to go online to get help?
Sylvia Garcia (01:01:27):
Well, for us, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, it's our webpage. Any one of our members also have webpages, and most of us have already put a lot of those things online because some of us even started some of these workshops this last weekend. So moving forward, we'll continue to do them. And again, we will speak up if we see something egregious and we will continue to work with all the other advocacy groups. Thank you all so much.
Adriano Espaillat (01:01:56):
Thank you.
Speaker 8 (01:01:56):
[inaudible 01:01:57]. Can I [inaudible 01:02:03] guys for a quick question? [inaudible 01:02:06].