112th Congress
October 9, 2011
Once again, Rep. Mo Brooks is singing the praises of a policy that is damaging both to the economy and our fundamental civil rights.
October 6, 2011
Rep. Luis Gutierrez (IL) issued a statement reacting to an announcement that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) would review deportation cases based on newly-issued guidelines which establish priorities for deportation.
October 4, 2011
Washington D.C.: Chairman Charles A. Gonzalez (TX 20) released a statement in response to US district judge Sharon Lovelace Blackburn’s refusal to block several provisions in Alabama’s immigration law:
“Alabama’s imprudent law amounts to abuse of governmental authority. Stopping and questioning individuals without any reasonable basis other than a person's ethnicity is textbook–style profiling. Our immigration policies truly need to be fixed, but not through a hodge-podge of state-sponsored attempts at profiling and not by abusing governmental authority.”
September 15, 2011
Washington D.C.: Chairman Charles A. Gonzalez (TX 20) released this statement to kick –off Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from Sept. 15- Oct. 15, 2011:“During Hispanic Heritage Month, we honor the Hispanic community and pay tribute to the extraordinary contributions that Hispanics have made throughout our history in business, education, government, and the arts.
“All Americans do not share a common heritage, but we share a common dream and therefore we are bound by a common destiny.
September 9, 2011
Washington D.C.: Chairman Charles A. Gonzalez (TX 20) released this statement in response to President Obama’s joint session address to Congress and his announcement of the American Jobs Act:
“The president’s speech last night confirmed that he is committed to getting Americans back to work and he presented strategic proposals to create a better economic situation for working Latino families.
It has been said many times before that the recession has hit Latinos hard, with household wealth for Hispanics shrinking by 66% from 2005 to 2009 as a result of the failed economic policies of the previous administration.
August 18, 2011
Washington D.C.: Chairman Charles A. Gonzalez (TX 20) released a statement in response to the Department of Homeland Security’s new interagency process to ensure that resources are focused on the Administration’s highest enforcement priorities. As part of this process, an interagency team of DHS and Department of Justice officers and attorneys, including representatives from throughout DHS and from the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) and the Office of Immigration Litigation at DOJ, will identify low-priority removal cases that should be considered for an exercise of discretion
“I applaud President Obama and Secretary Napolitano’s decision to commit a panel to redefine priorities in deportation cases.
August 11, 2011
Washington D.C.: Chairman Charles A. Gonzalez (TX 20) released a statement in response to Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi’s appointment of CHC member Rep. Xavier Becerra to the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction.
“I commend Leader Pelosi’s decision to appoint Congressman Becerra, former Chairman of the Hispanic Caucus and Vice Chairman of the Democratic Caucus to this important committee and for her steadfast support for many of the issues important to the Latino community throughout the recent debt ceiling negotiations.
August 9, 2011
Washington D.C.: Chairman Charles A. Gonzalez (TX 20) released a statement in response to Department of Education’s announcement that waivers to certain unmanageable provisions to No Child Left Behind:
“As decisions are made about what these waivers may include, I urge Secretary Duncan to ensure that progress is being made in schools by maintaining strong accountability measures that reflect the specifics needs of each school. Considering that the new school year is beginning in the absence of an updated version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, educators across the country will continue to face challenges to academic success.
August 2, 2011
Washington D.C.: Chairman Charles A. Gonzalez (TX 20) released a statement in response to Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Alejandro Mayorkas efforts to attract and retain foreign entrepreneurial talent that could create jobs, form startup companies and invest capital in areas of high unemployment.
“I welcome the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services initiative to re-think administrative practices as a way to spark our economic engines. After all, according to the Small Business Association, immigrant business owners contributed $67 billion of business income, about 12 percent all business income in our country.
“While every effort to create jobs is a step in the right direction, we cannot overlook the wealth of resources already within our country.
August 1, 2011
Washington D.C.: Chairman Charles A. Gonzalez (TX 20) released a statement in response to Department of Justice’s announcement that they have filed suit challenging the state of Alabama’s recently passed immigration law, H.B. 56.
“I applaud the Department of Justice’s decision to challenge this deeply regressive and dangerous law from going into effect, preserve the federal government’s power to set immigration policy, and ensure that other states do not follow Alabama’s unconstitutional lead.
“These provisions create an environment for racial profiling and drag Alabama back to the era when a class of persons was considered less than human in the eyes of the law. Alabama’s attempt to close the schoolhouse door is fundamentally at odds with our nation’s commitments to due process, fairness, and equal protection of the laws.