Ramirez: ‘Your persecution of immigrants and Secretary Mayorkas won’t change the price of milk in your district’

Washington, DC -Today, Congresswoman Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03), Vice Ranking Member of the Homeland Security Committee (CHS), decried the gross misuse of Congressional resources by Republican leadership on baseless impeachments and implored her colleagues to instead work to enact policies that would address the humanitarian crisis within the borders. 

During the first impeachment hearing for Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, Congresswoman Ramirez outlined16 policy solutions that the House and the Homeland Security Committee could be working on to humanely reform the immigration system, influence root causes of migration, alleviate the labor shortage, secure the border, and address the humanitarian crisis in the southern border. 

“After a year in this room, after more than 15 hearings and approximately 45 hours of ‘talking’ and ‘talking’ and ‘talking’ about the border, we come back to committee - not to address 30 years of failed border policy and political inaction that has created a humanitarian crisis within our borders - but to pursue a baseless impeachment. Today marks the 16th wasted hearing on the border” said Congresswoman Ramirez. “These impeachment proceedings demonstrate that some of my Republican colleagues do not take this institution, or the responsibilities of our office seriously. They are willing to take impeachment - an important tool for accountability - and make a mockery of it for political gain. This is how I know they are not taking the humanitarian crisis within our border seriously. 

“impeachment will not make our borders any safer for our communities or for asylum seekers, and it will not address the conditions across Latin America that motivate families to migrate across jungles and deserts to our southern border. If they were serious, they would be taking up any issues on the topics on this list of 16 possible policy solutions,” added Ramirez. “Including today, we have wasted 16 hearings on political theater that could have been better served by considering policy on 16 actions behind me.” 

Since coming to Congress, Congresswoman Ramirez has been working on advancing the following list of 16 policy items:

• Expand work permits
• Increase border personnel to expand assistance to new arrivals
• Modernize legal pathways to citizenship
• Grant immigration parole
• Address and prepare for climate migration
• Invest in the economic development of Latin American communities
• End the Monroe Doctrine
• Allocate resettlement funding for displaced populations
• Lift and reform time-based immigration bars
• Modernize definitions/ standards in our antiquated system
• Improve upon adjudicatory processing capacity 
• Establish humanitarian standards at CBP sites
• Increase personnel to reduce USCIS backlogs
• Implement federal coordination of resettlement to interior cities
• Strengthen democracy and combat corruption in Latin America
• Pass HR 16 - American Dream and Promise Act

“So let me say to you, as a proud daughter of immigrants, the wife of a dreamer, and representative of IL-3, I am here to get things done. To me, Congress represents a sacred responsibility to come together to realize the solutions and problems impacting our constituents. The prosecution of immigrants and Secretary Mayorkas is not going to change the price of milk in your district, it’s not going to address the shrinking tax space in your district, and it is not going to fill the vacant positions of industries in your business. Action will. Policy inaction speaks louder than the 16 hearings and the 48 hours of ‘talk and talk’ and soundbites and photo ops at the border,” stated Congresswoman Ramirez. "I have been to the border, my mother crossed it, and I was there with her. I am serious about the work we can do here."

The GOP-led hearing entitled “Impeachment Resolution Against Homeland Security Secretary ” included the testimonies of Republican witnesses: 

• Austin Knudsen, Attorney General, State of Montana
• Gentner Drummond, Attorney General, State of Oklahoma 
• Andrew Bailey, Attorney General, State of Missouri 

It also included the testimony of Democratic witness Frank O. Bowman, III, Curator’s Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Floyd R. Gibson Missouri Endowed Professor Emeritus of Law, University of Missouri School of Law. 

For her complete line of questioning and witnesses' responses, click HERE. 

BACKGROUND

Congresswoman Ramirez is the proud daughter of immigrants, the wife of a Dreamer, representative of IL-03, and the Vice Ranking Member of the Homeland Security Committee, Congresswoman Delia C. Ramirez has worked tirelessly to humanely address immigration, bring resources back to the district, and has stood against the constant scapegoating of immigrant communities. 

• Congresswoman Ramirez is co-leading the bipartisan American Dream and Promise Act, legislation that provides a pathway to citizenship for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders, and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) recipients.
• Congresswoman Ramirez led colleagues of Illinois, New York, and California delegations on a congressional letter urging the Biden Administration to ensure interior cities receive at least $5 billion in federal resources and support needed to provide shelter and essential life-saving services to asylum seekers.
• Congresswoman Ramirez also sent a letter to Congressional leadership urging legislators to avoid using immigrants as a bargaining chip during budget negotiation, abandon three decades of failed policy, and address immigration beyond the border
• Congresswoman Ramirez (IL-03) joined Rep. Nydia Velázquez (NY-07) to introduce a resolution calling for the abandonment of the Monroe Doctrine and develop an approach to foreign policy that advances our collective interests and builds a stronger coalition in Latin America and the Caribbean.
• Congresswoman Ramirez is co-leading the Immigrant Detained Persons Legal Rights Act, legislation to directly address human and due process rights violations occurring in immigrant detention centers.