That highly inaccurate and its highly i think a little bit dismissive of our current immigration system. Are usually with the h1b process at all . Right now if i came to the United States legally, not coming illegally, i came here legally as an h1b you worker, someone who works as a guest worker in the hightech industry or requires a College Degree and i had children in the United States, they would become citizens but i would not be, necessarily, im have a right to become a citizen of the United States. I could apply for citizenship but theres nothing that technically says i have to become a citizen. Theres millions who come to the United States who have children and they still have to leave, even though they came here legally. Are you aware that . I did not know that. So it wouldnt be treating your family any different than we treat the millions and millions of people who come legally to the United States and they dont have a right to stay in the United States. Now, i want to find a way to make, to help the 11 million. I dont have a problem with that. But to come here to congress and say that were putting her parents in the back of us when were treated we would treat them the same we would treat anybody else who came here legally who doesnt have a right to citizenship. I think you need to rethink your rhetoric because theres people that are here legally that dont become citizens of the United States, and their children and have the same values, the same belief, the same everything that you have that the law does not allow them to become citizens. Yet they can actually stay in as guest workers in many, many industries. I want to find a solution for this problem. I want us to treat everybody fairly. So like i said in my opening statement, the most important things for me is the rule of law. Making sure that we prevent having this problem again 10 years from now, 20 years from now. Because, frankly, thats not fair to either one of you come if we continue to have these problems for the next little while then it will be another ms. Rivera, another ms. Velazquez coming to congress and telling us about the compelling story about the families and how their families now need to have a new legal status. So i want to help you. I want to help your family, the most important want to make sure we fix the problem that we have to we dont have to have this conversation again. Thank you very much for being here today. The chair when i recognize the gentleman from texas, ms. Jackson lee. Let me thank the chairman, and i join with the idea that whenever we make steps towards improving lives and we are really doing the right thing. Because that is the challenge and the charge we been given in this congress, to come help and fix americas problems. I want to acknowledge my appreciation for all of the witnesses, but if you want to thank in particular ms. Velazquez and ms. Rivera, because along with your knowledge that our personal stories that are being told. And ms. Rivera, i cant thank you enough for discussing something so personal. And i think if we can all appreciate each of the humanity, that what wer we are talking at is not the nuts and bolts of moving checkers on a checkerboard or chests on a chessboard. Were really talking about human lives. And i believe that we have held human lives in the balance too long. This has been going on too long. The key to this is not presupposing or predicting bill hill, disaster and devastation, but to look at this as a marker in terms of attempting to frame doctor duke the release this im so that we dont have the idea of someone being able to say this will happen again. I am, dr. Duke, i want to pose this question to you. We thank you for representing the Southern Baptist this morning. Evangelicals who have made a commitment and have embraced i guess people from different faith and they believe its time to move really on the human aspect. As you listen to ms. Rivera, ms. Velazquez, you know theres a comprehencomprehen sive pathway to citizenship. There is a crack in the armor when you suggest that you will take the children. I know that some years back Ranking Member and myself worked on in various worries and then together the idea what kind of facilities children are in the young people are in under the age majority. Previously in detention sent it wasnt a pretty scene. It wasnt a pretty scene we had to separate families. So the human question rose, the idea of Human Trafficking which are now the church has worked on is disastrously. I come from a city that has an enormous problem of trafficking. Its houston. So my question to you is, do you see the value in taking a comprehensive approach and regularizing family members, agricultural workers, tech workers, other skilled workers that really reins in what i think our friends have been speaking of through the searing . Thank you for the question, congressman jackson lee. Yes, we believe we do need to address the entire 11 million or so undocumented immigrants here that family unification is an important aspect of Immigration Reform. The question for us with this particular question on these particular children to us is a little different than their parents simply because the children didnt break any laws. And so i just dont see how you can address the parents who did break laws of that particular group differently than you would address all the other parents of children who broke the law. That needs to be addressed in a bigger package of bills that we believe that youre working on and that we are hopeful you will continue to work on. And that this particular aspect of it, just these children become one part of the entire package that does ultimately assure us the status family units speak so you can support comprehenisve Immigration Reform . Yes. We support a full Immigration Reform. Let me get these questions out before my time, ms. Rivera, ms. Velazquez. And talking both about the pain from separation of parents or the pain that young people have . Why dont we start with you, ms. Rivera. The pain that you are experiencing even though youre over 21 . Of not having your mother here. I assumed she is in colombia . Yes, maam. The pain of not having a mother here in the United States. Its very difficult. Its the little things, birthdays, celebrations, graduations, weddings. Also the things that, you know, become harder and harder. Its having to see my sister, who is unable to visit her, suffer. And to see that the only way she can interact with my mom is through a computer camera. So its incredibly difficult. As i said in my testimony, it effected me while i was in school. I had to reach out to my college of liberal arts, my counselors, and let them know what was going on because i could not concentrate. I was a College Undergrad student trying to understand immigration law, which is just about impossible, filing paperwork. So its very difficult. Ms. Velazquez . I can only imagine what it would be. Not having my parents with me. My younger brothers, yeah, it would be devastating. And the pain in the community existed with several families in the state of arkansas that are now battling that. I can only imagine what parents would you like to leave their five u. S. Children and having to go back to places they havent been to in a long time. We also have another case in fort smith whether Hernandez Family has to do assist in children. One is three years old commander parents are in a detention cell waiting to be deported. And i can see, i can see the pain in her eyes, that she has whenever she talks to me about her dad and how much she misses him and playing with them. So just the thought of not being there, and even at my age, not being there with him is terrifying to me. Thank you, ms. Velazquez. Let me thank the chairman very much. Unyielding packages and congresses duty is to fix these kinds of problems, even if they are pretty tough. I think and i yield back. The chair would now recognize the lady from california for unanimous consent, then the gentleman from nevada who has waited patiently. I would ask unanimous consent we make a part of the record statements from the congressional specific island american progress, the First Focus Campaign for children. The American Civil Liberties union, the National Immigrant justice center, the Asian American justice, the antidefamation league, National Education association, ywca and the Church World Service as those of the statements on citizenship from the evangelical immigration table, and a poll from last week from the Gallup Organization on immigration as seen by americans. Without objection. The gentleman from nevada. Thank you, mr. Chairman. I want to associate myself with the remarks of my colleagues from texas although i wish tranelevetraneleve n were still here. I wanted to talk to him on the record about teaching people to drive. We will skip that part. During the course of this hearing we heard things about i dont want my children parents left behind so this doesnt happen again. The package, comprehensive, all over this town to find comprehensive. Everybody has gone straight on what the problem is now and rightfully so. But we dont have that luxury of just concentrating on that. Your circumstances have been well represented. And i tell you what, quite frankly i personally believe the hardest thing for anybody to do is go back to the people that they represent to say we did nothing. Does anybody on the panel think that whats going on now is okay and nothing, status quo is okay . Record should reflect nobody answered in the affirmative, correct . Okay. So now let me ask you this. I want to ask you to branch out the on your personal circumstances, want your parents together, all that other stuff which is understandable of human nature, what was, and ill start with you, ms. Velazquez, do you have any knowledge of what the thought process was when your mom, if i recall correctly, i miss part of the, said you know what, im going there and im staying and im taking my two year old, the age doesnt really matter. And im asking the question in the context of, because one of the toughest things to justify is okay, in 86 they do with it. Here we are in 2013, were going to deal with it. Hopefully, we should. But now that some of the indications, now 10 years down the road, 15 years down the road. How do you make sure that nobody comes here 15 or 20 years from now it has to sit where you are and tell the stories about that, what is the peace. With all due respect, the border theres a gulf and the two coasts and theres nothing up there north of met montana called candida. What is your thought, how do you make sure this doesnt happen again . Once we deal with this group, any suggestions . Well, i think thats your responsibility, congressman. I think you all hold the answer to what were going and i appreciate that but which, to i want a copper hit a thing, you cant say but ive got nothing to give you on the other part. Heres what want you to do for me. I mean you can but then you risk whatever we come up with. I think it would scare the heck out of you. Ms. Rivera . Thank you, congressman. To answer the first part of that question, you know, columbia in the 80s and early 90s is a very scary place to be. You know, my parents did what i think any parent would do. What i know what i would give my children, they tried to give us, yeah, every opportunity and they wanted to get us out of there because it was just so dangerous. So to now address the second part of your question, its very difficult to say, you know, how you fix this problem. But, you know, i know that you guys are incredibly talent and they know that you may think that is a copout, but i really think that, you know, sitting and talking this out you can figure it out. Thank you for acknowledging that and the fact of the folks on the south side of the building should have a shot at that, as will the folks on the north side of the building. Ms. Mchugh, any thoughts . What have other countries than . What do you do so you just dont keep turning the wheel and having new groups that are disenfranchised because our Current System isnt working . Im not involved in a lot of these different areas of work in my organization but you may be aware that we analysis of both interior and border enforcement systems. We have done comparative work looking at how other countries are handling these issues. Also, weve done a great deal of analysis of really, ive got a yellow light. Briefly can you summer . I know there are no easy answers. Thank you. And in a great question. Therell probably always be some people here illegally. Were not going to ever get 100 security at that point. But certainly the workplace is a large draw, and if you can put in some kind of everify for most employment circumstances, that certainly will deal with a lot of it. We need a better way to track visas as well so folks are not overseeing their visas. To me, its offensive that folks who gave the word that they would under a certain amount of time have chosen to back out on the word and overstayed their visas. To me that the concern as well, so you should address that as well. And then, of course, Border Security would help as well. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Thank the gentleman from nevada. The chair will not recognize himself for five minutes of questioning. Dr. Duke, i never even thought about taking new testament but several of my colleagues have made reference to the bible and im almost positive a couple named joseph and mary immigrated according to one of the gospels egypt when herod was looking for their son. It gets into the gospel of matthew. I want to ask you this. Because this is what kind of vexes me from a family standpoint but i want you to imagine, i never understood why god preferred esau over jacob. And i never really understood why they killed the fatted calf or the prodigal son went the other son had done it exactly right. Exactly what youre supposed to do. He didnt go and squandered his fortune. He did what his father asked him to do. So imagine a couple in colombia with a daughter every bit as bright and engaging and beautiful as ms. Rivera. And they did it the way we asked them to do it. What are the equities of jumping anyone ahead of them and lie . Congressman, thanks for the question. It is a tough question. Answer questions about except that understand those particular situations in the bible are still being debated and will be until the lord returns, im sure. So youre not alone in trying to sort through some of those things. I think that the reality is, we have a situation that nobody wants, its a real situation that were dealing with and we have 11 people here. We cannot continue to allow them to live in the circumstances theyre living in. Its not right for them. Its not in our countries best interest so we need to address that if were going to secure the borders, if were going to trap 11 Million People here, you better forget way to stop us from simply consign them to lives of poverty are bare subsistence, and their children and their children and their children after them. So its a more practical question i think at that point, what you do with folks who are in line trying to get here when you already have 11 million here. You could see aubrey have 11 million your you have to address and those other folks now at least there met making a living wherever they are. At least they have some degree of support wherever they are rather than us trying to drive these other folks out of here. So we have to address this situation. We cant simply ignore it and asked as though it doesnt exist. When we do talk about getting on path to a legal status, from the legal status or so and for citizenship, they should get behind the line. They should get into the line for everybody who already has their paperwork in. Whenever their paperwork goes into should go in and be active after all of these other folks who have already applied in the process. So some folks will be a long time in the process unless you want to speed up how quickly we can process people for citizenship. Ms. Velazquez, i think all of the witnesses have made reference to 11 million. I hear it everywhere i go. Its a fix Homogeneous Group. We know its not. He made reference several times to the 11 million. Would you agree with me that those members of the 11 million who cant pass a background check shouldnt be on a path to anything other than deportation . Maybe the people that dont pass a background check but if you believe that there should be a pathway for the majority of well now, thats very different from what you said earlier and thats kind of my point. My point is, all 11 million cant pass any background check. All 11 million of any category of people from preachers to member of congress cant pass a background check. So why persist with the talking point of 11 million when we know thats disingenuous . All 11 million dont want to be citizens. All 11 million cant pass a background check. And even if you can see that then we get to the details about the background check is going to look like. For instance, if your city where mr. Amodei a city, if you have a conviction for Domestic Violence, should you be on a path to citizenship or a path to deportation . Well, i can only argue or my sake and my parents sent no, no, no. No, no, no. With all due respect to advocate on behalf of 11 million aspiring americans. You are not a difficult fact that it. Ms. Rivera is not a difficult fact pattern. So the talking point of 11 million aspiring americans, im not interested in the. Im down in the details of what does a background check look like. Do you think a conviction for Domestic Violence should disqualify someone from the only path to citizenship or status . I think im going back again to thats up to you all to decide, and welcome if its up to us then why do i constantly hear 11 million . If its one monolithic Homogeneous Group . Why . Why not just say what you said . Their which is there are subgroups which want Di