Floor SpeechCeremonial2026-01-08

RECOGNIZING 20TH ANNUAL CRUCIAN-RICAN TRAMP AND BIG BREAKFAST

ImmigrationEnvironment

Context

On 2026-01-08, Representative Stacey E. Plaskett (D-VI) delivered a floor speech titled "RECOGNIZING 20TH ANNUAL CRUCIAN-RICAN TRAMP AND BIG BREAKFAST" in the House. The speech addressed immigration and also covered the environment.

Full Text

RECOGNIZING 20TH ANNUAL CRUCIAN-RICAN TRAMP AND BIG BREAKFAST

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 5 (Thursday, January 8, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 5 (Thursday, January 8, 2026)] [House] [Pages H148-H149] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] RECOGNIZING 20TH ANNUAL CRUCIAN-RICAN TRAMP AND BIG BREAKFAST (Ms. PLASKETT asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.) Ms. PLASKETT. Madam Speaker, I rise to share the unbreakable ties between the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, demonstrated this week through the Annual Crucian-Rican Tramp and Big Breakfast, a powerful reminder that Virgin Islands culture is inseparable from our Latin Caribbean heritage. Puerto Rican immigrants began coming to the Virgin Islands by the thousands in the late 1800s, cutting cane alongside Crucians, whose ancestors endured the same cane fields. Families planted roots, building communities throughout the island and on St. Thomas. They established social clubs and created businesses. Spanish became our second language. Our children grew bilingual. Our families intertwined. Our kitchens became sacred ground, where callaloo met asopao, fungi sat beside mofongo, and johnnycakes shared the table with bacalaitos. Yet, before the migration to St. Croix were the boats of enslaved Crucians, who were fleeing slavery by making the dangerous trip to Vieques and Culebra. This isn't fusion. It is family, Caribbean people who refused to let colonial borders divide us, who [[Page H149]] recognized in each other the same bloodlines and the same determination to thrive. The Crucian-Rican Tramp celebrates this truth: We are stronger together. ____________________

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RECOGNIZING 20TH ANNUAL CRUCIAN-RICAN TRAMP AND BIG BREAKFAST Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 5 (Thursday, January 8, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 5 (Thursday, January 8, 2026)] [House] [Pages H148-H149] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] RECOGNIZING 20TH ANNUAL CRUCIAN-RICAN TRAMP AND BIG BREAKFAST (Ms. PLASKETT asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.) Ms. PLASKETT. Madam Speaker, I rise to share the unbreakable ties between the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, demonstrated this week through the Annual Crucian-Rican Tramp and Big Breakfast, a powerful reminder that Virgin Islands culture is inseparable from our Latin Caribbean heritage. Puerto Rican immigrants began coming to the Virgin Islands by the thousands in the late 1800s, cutting cane alongside Crucians, whose ancestors endured the same cane fields. Families planted roots, building communities throughout the island and on St. Thomas. They established social clubs and created businesses. Spanish became our second language. Our children grew bilingual. Our families intertwined. Our kitchens became sacred ground, where callaloo met asopao, fungi sat beside mofongo, and johnnycakes shared the table with bacalaitos. Yet, before the migration to St. Croix were the boats of enslaved Crucians, who were fleeing slavery by making the dangerous trip to Vieques and Culebra. This isn't fusion. It is family, Caribbean people who refused to let colonial borders divide us, who [[Page H149]] recognized in each other the same bloodlines and the same determination to thrive. The Crucian-Rican Tramp celebrates this truth: We are stronger together. ____________________