LAX Leader

WASHINGTON, DC – On May 11, Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37) spoke on the House Floor on H.R. 2, House Republicans’ Child Deportation Act. Below is a transcript of her remarks and a link to the video.

To watch her full remarks, click here.

“Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Ranking Member.

I rise today to strongly oppose H.R. 2, House Republicans’ ‘Child Deportation Act.’ 

Yes, our immigration system is broken, but instead of productive legislation that would work to fix it, Republicans want to double down on immoral, cruel, and inhumane Trump-era policies that hurt children and families and stoke fear and greater division. 

With Title 42 set to expire today, we should take this opportunity as a chance to address the humanitarian crisis at our border by focusing on solutions that alleviate pressures at our border and fundamentally change the dysfunction and chaos that is happening. 

Instead, this bill would make our immigration crisis that much worse. 

H.R. 2 would require expedited deportations and expanded detention for unaccompanied children, impose new restrictions on asylum while threatening the end -- to end the asylum system as we know it, detain even more migrant families in facilities with poor and unacceptable conditions, and resume President Trump's failed policy of building a border wall, and so much more. 

I hope the American people heard some of the statements made by my Republican colleagues when this bill was heard in committee.

Republicans dog whistle, fearmonger, lie, and resort to conspiracy theories about our border to hide the fact that they have no real solutions to this growing crisis. 

Harmful policies meant to exacerbate confusion, waste more money, and hurt people fleeing dangerous situations is not the answer. 

Many are fleeing war zones, areas of conflict, [and] countries that employ torture, violence, rape, and ethnic cleansing as tactics of control.

And what are we proposing to do with H.R. 2? 

Be a cruel neighbor and throw them back into harm’s way while telling Mexico to shoulder much of this burden.

America is supposed to be a nation of immigrants. We are supposed to have compassion for those seeking asylum.

Republican policies like H.R. 2 run counter to those very fundamental values. 

Unlike some of my GOP colleagues, I do not for one second believe that immigrants from Mexico are a threat to us.

If anything, the threats we face are homegrown. 

They take the form of xenophobic, transphobic, and hateful individuals who twist the meaning of the Constitution to fit their own political agendas.

As for this drug myth -- as for the drug myth, over 80% of drugs smuggled into our country are done by Americans, not immigrants. 

Let’s get serious and talk about meaningful steps towards immigration reform that include what it means to be a global partner in this space, not this wildly inappropriate and ineffective bill.

Thank you, and I yield back.”

Original source can be found here.