THE UNITED STATES REPRESENTS HOPEFUL NEW BEGINNINGS

On 2026-06-24, Representative Adelita S. Grijalva (D-AZ-7) delivered a floor speech titled "THE UNITED STATES REPRESENTS HOPEFUL NEW BEGINNINGS" in the House.

THE UNITED STATES REPRESENTS HOPEFUL NEW BEGINNINGS

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026)] [House] [Pages H4234-H4238] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] THE UNITED STATES REPRESENTS HOPEFUL NEW BEGINNINGS (Under the Speaker's announced policy of January 3, 2025, Mrs. Ramirez of Illinois was recognized for 60 minutes.) General Leave Mrs. RAMIREZ. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of my Special Order. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentlewoman from Illinois? There was no objection. Mrs. RAMIREZ. Mr. Speaker, I am proudly on this House floor going to talk about what brings me to this place. Yes, I am the Congresswoman of Illinois' Third Congressional District. I am also the proud daughter of Guatemalan immigrants. I am a citizen by birthright. I am the wife of an incredible man who until recently was a DACA recipient, a Dreamer, and Congresista from a welcoming city, State, and district. We know the story of our Nation wouldn't be complete without the joy, without the sweat, and without the struggles and resilience of those who, whether a couple of generations ago or 1 year ago, came to this country in search of safety, security, and opportunity. {time} 1820 Whether arriving through the southern border like my mother did 43 years ago or welcomed by the Mother of Exiles, the Statue of Liberty, like the ancestors of so many Members of Congress that I serve with, including the man in the Oval Office, our country has represented hopeful new beginnings for so many. Yet, too many have forgotten these histories. As this country approaches the 250th anniversary of its founding, I rise during Immigrant Heritage Month asking us to reflect on this country's history, on this country's story, our progress and our failures, and our enduring but not yet fulfilled commitment to the principles of liberty and justice for all. When a government fails to secure these rights and liberties for all people, regardless of legal status, origin, nationality, religion, or economic condition, it is, in fact, the responsibility of Members of Congress to challenge and transform systems that deny our communities dignity and justice. I am clear that we have not yet fully realized our country's founding ideals. The policies passed by this body and the powers seized by Trump's administration have created barriers and hardships for asylum seekers, for refugees, and all immigrant communities, including conditions that undermine internationally recognized human rights and constitutional protections. When the administration is unwilling to uphold our commitments to human rights and obligations under the Constitution, Members of Congress in this body must act. We must meet the moment, and we must legislate. Because we know that immigrant communities make significant social, cultural, economic, and civic contributions to our country, strengthening and enriching our collective future. The 250th anniversary of America serves not only as a commemoration but also as a choice point. We can choose to honor the contributions of immigrants by bringing 11 million people out of the shadows. We can choose to recognize our shared commitment to never again turn our backs on those seeking refuge and safety. We can choose to create pathways to citizenship for DACA recipients, who have been in this country since the age of 2 who know no other country other than this one as their own, and those that are TPS holders and in mixed-status families. We can choose to renew our commitment to building a more inclusive, equitable, and united future for all who call the United States home, or we can allow Trump and this administration to continue terrorizing our communities, denying relief, violating protections, and certainly separating the families that my colleague just a moment ago bragged about being the party of families. Here is the thing: I know where I stand, and I know where Trump, Noem, and now Markwayne, Homan, Miller, and Republicans in Congress stand. Trump and his cronies want to define who gets to be American and who is not American enough for them. He wants to define who is worthy of stability, of safety, of security, of opportunity, and who gets to be included in our Nation's founding ideals. I, on this House floor, reject his white supremacist, xenophobic, bigoted agenda. It is important for us as Members of Congress to continue to fight for the opportunity that this Nation represents for so many of us like the opportunity to buy the first pair of shoes for your children, the opportunity to receive an education, to get a family-sustaining job, to establish a small business, and, for me, to become the very first Latina in the entire Midwest to serve in Congress. I am the daughter of Maria Elvira Ramirez Guerra, a ``powerful''; ``poderosa'' woman ``that fought for me''; ``que lucho por mi,'' and carried that legacy that I get to carry now every single day in these Halls of Congress. For us on Immigrant Heritage Month and in this Special Order hour, it is important as Members of Congress, those of us who are unapologetically children of immigrants, to remind everyone that our experiences, that the experience of refugees, that the experience of immigrants are also part of this Nation. We belong, and we will not let anyone tell us that we are not the inheritors of the promise of America, just like so many of my colleagues' ancestors were for them. Today, I say no bans, no walls, no raids, no kidnappings, no masked agents terrorizing our communities, no military attacking our neighbors, and no authoritarians in the Oval Office. ``Period''; ``Punto.'' [[Page H4235]] Mr. Speaker, I will yield to some of my colleagues who will recognize and uplift the stories of the immigrant communities they represent and hold President Trump and Republicans accountable for the continued attacks on our immigrant communities. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Ms. Tokuda). Ms. TOKUDA. Mr. Speaker, earlier this month, I stood on a farm in Haleiwa for the blessing of the Pacific Gateway Center's new land. I looked out at the fields and at the farmers and families gathered there ready to work, grow food, and to build something of their own. It was immigrants focused on strengthening their community, our economy, and creating a better life for their children. As I stood there, I could not stop thinking: This is it. This is America. This is what a true celebration of 250 years of America looks like. It is a more honest portrait of our country than any gilded ballroom or caged fight on the White House lawn could ever offer: hands in the soil, families laying down roots, people arriving with hope, working hard, and building a life for their children and their grandchildren. That is my family's story, too. I am a Yonsei, a fourth-generation of Okinawan descent. Like so many other Japanese, Filipino, Chinese families in Hawaii, agriculture and the plantations were the gateway that allowed us to come, to work, to lay down our roots, and to build a real future for our children. I would not be standing here today as a Member of Congress if my family had not been given that chance, had that pathway not existed for so many immigrants like us. For so many, somewhere in our family's story, someone got here. Someone arrived with the same hope, the same courage, and the same belief that tomorrow could be a better day than today, that their children could go further than they did, that this country could be a place where hard work, sacrifice, and community still meant something. That is where this administration has twisted the story. They want us to believe immigrants are the enemy, but when you attack immigrant children and women and workers and families, you are attacking the very people who helped create our American identity. When you detain families, separate children, strip people of their rights, and tell whole communities they do not belong, you are not protecting America. You are betraying her promise. They can try to paint over the truth. They can try to dress it up, cover the cracks with gold, or write immigrants out of the story, but the truth is carved into America's foundation: America's heritage is, in fact, immigration. It is arrival. It is hard work. It is sacrifice. It is the belief that tomorrow can be better than today. That is what America first should mean, not pitting immigrant against nonimmigrant. By the way, unless you are indigenous to this land, you are, in fact, an immigrant. Not turning families into targets, but creating opportunities and pathways for the people who came here, laid down their roots, helped build this country, and still carry it forward every single day. That is what gives me hope. Because there are still people in this country who have not lost sight of that dream. I saw them in Haleiwa. I saw people and families choosing work, choosing community, choosing to build, and choosing courage. I saw people making sure that pathway is still there for the next family, the next generation, and the next person looking for a chance. That is the America I believe in. An America where immigrant families are not treated as threats, but recognized as part of who we are. An America that understands the American Dream has never been about where you came from. It is about what you are willing to build when you get here. As we celebrate National Immigrant Heritage Month and prepare to mark 250 years of this country, let us tell the truth: Immigrants are not outside America's story. They are the story. They are not a threat to America's heritage. They are America's heritage. If we are serious about honoring 250 years of America, then we have a responsibility to fight for the people still re

Referenced legislation: HR7190