Protecting the Values of Our Nation

Floor Speech

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Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, as vice chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, I will highlight some of the ongoing work my colleagues and I from the CHC's Working Group on Migrant Families are doing.

Last month, in anticipation of the elimination of title 42, a Trump- era measure, our working group sat to work and develop recommendations that were subsequently submitted to Secretary Mayorkas outlining the CHC's proposal to protect the values of our Nation. These include the rights of immigrants, asylum seekers, the rights of families to enter our country and make their case before government as they flee political violence, as they flee gang violence, as they flee food insecurity, as they flee environmental crises that forces, perhaps, a mom to take her three children and walk for thousands of miles to our border.

Mr. Speaker, immigration is not a matter that is exclusive to the United States of America; it is a worldwide matter. Mothers and families across the planet are often forced because of violence, because of war, because of environmental crisis, and because of food insecurity to seek a better life for them and their children.

We submitted a series of recommendations to Secretary Mayorkas, among them was not to resort back to the family detention model that was perpetrated during the Trump administration. This model we know, and experts feel, scars children, some of them for life. We saw the photos and the images of children incarcerated in cages during those days and those children, experts feel, could be scarred and traumatized for life.

We asked Secretary Mayorkas not to resort back to the family detention model, and we were happy to see that he did not.

Next, in our series of proposals, was to grant and continue to grant the parole program for Cubans, Nicaraguans, Haitians, and Venezuelans.

Mr. Speaker, there is a crisis of democracy in the Western Hemisphere and in this chapter of our history, it is not characterized by a left- leaning government crisis or a right-leaning government crisis.

It is impacting countries on both ends. Therefore, it is prudent and appropriate to grant those that are fleeing political violence, whose lives are in danger, as we grant to Ukrainians that come to the border and other folks that are fleeing political violence and escaping murder, the opportunity to make their case for asylum.

We were happy to see that that program will continue and provide a legal pathway for those seeking asylum. Though several elements of this parole program may not necessarily be the best, it is one that provides a legal path of access to the United States Government to make their case for asylum.

I further applaud Mr. Mayorkas' efforts to implement a new program that basically applies to citizens of El Salvador, Colombia, Honduras, and Guatemala. It provides the ability to have family reunification. We often hear, time and time again, how family values are an integral part of America and that when families are together, our Nation is stronger; when families are divided, our Nation is weaker.

So this particular program will assist, again, in--through legal pathways--providing family reunification efforts and the abilities for citizens of El Salvador, Colombia, Honduras, and Guatemala. These are both very good programs.

Mr. Speaker, I think this is a step in the right direction.

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