Pelosi Remarks at Press Conference Celebrating Immigrant Rights Day

Press Conference

oday, Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi joined Democratic Members and Senators, in conjunction with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, to mark Immigrant Rights Day and stand in support of America's immigrants. Below is a transcript of the Leader's remarks:

Opening Remarks

"Thank you very much Madam Chair [Michelle Lujan Grisham], I thank you and the Chair of our [House Democratic] Caucus Joe Crowley for your beautiful statements of values about who we are as Americans, and how we respect our Constitution and the rights that are there.

"So our Immigrants' Rights Day is a day for all Americans to celebrate. By-in-large many of us are immigrants, [Caucus Chair] Joe [Crowley] talked about, even the President's immediacy to his mother having been born in another country.

"But instead of honoring our values, President Trump is terrorizing immigrant communities and tearing apart families.

"We know that, you said Madam Chair, how our members have visited whether it's the border, the airports, wherever it is. We have observed firsthand, and I know [Congressman] Luis Gutierrez will speak to seeing that all over the country.

"I just want to take a word to associate myself with their beautiful statements of patriotism about America and who we are, and spend a moment or two to say how pleased I was that we handed President Trump a resounding defeat in the omnibus bill.

"It does not fund the immoral and unwise border wall. It does not create a new deportation force, imagine a new deportation force. And it does not defund sanctuary cities, something so important to so many of us.

"We beat back Republican riders targeting DREAMers and we made ICE more accountable in their handling of family detention facilities. That's an endless fight for us, again and again.

"We demanded the omnibus honor the rights and respect the humanity of our immigrant families.

"Hard-working immigrants are the constant reinvigoration of America. They build our middle class. Our middle class is the backbone of our Democracy

"Each generation of immigrants brings their hopes, their aspirations, their optimism, their faith and their courage and their determination to succeed for their families into the future of our country. Those are all-American values and priorities. So, for those immigrants who do that and overwhelmingly, they do -- the immigrants who come make Americans more American.

"On Immigrants' Rights Day, Democrats rededicate ourselves to standing strong for immigrant families, championing comprehensive and compassionate immigration reform our nation needs. I just want to say something about President George W. Bush. He was a great president for immigrants. One of the things he did since he was president and in the course of these last few months is to say: when you're having a debate on immigration policy, speak respectfully. Remember, we're all children of God. Speak respectfully of our immigrants -- such a beautiful thought. That is not what is happening in this Administration.

"So, it is a situation where we have some bipartisan support. We know if they gave us the chance to vote, it would pass -- comprehensive immigration reform, which strengthens our country, respects our values and respects that all of these people are God's children. And that we have this in a bipartisan way -- here in the House -- and bipartisan way in the Senate. They already did pass it a couple of Congresses ago.

"But I'm so honored now, I'm honored to yield to a former House Member -- one who shares representation of New Mexico with our distinguished Chair of the Hispanic Caucus, a former Member of the House, distinguished Senator, Senator Heinrich. Senator, I yield to you."

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