Immigration
More on Immigration
McClatchy News
"I WILL CARRY POPE FRANCIS' WORDS WITH ME AS WE MOVE FORWARD TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEMS THAT LAY BEFORE US...REFORMING OUR BROKEN IMMIGRATION SYSTEM, ERADICATING POVERTY AND ENSURING THAT ALL HAVE A VOICE IN OUR NATION'S DEMOCRACY." Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Texas
Francis' remarks on immigration became a defining message for many.
Rep. Beto O'Rourke, a Democrat from El Paso, along the southern border, said his favorite line of the speech was, "We, the people of this continent, are not fearful of foreigners, because most of us were once foreigners."
National Journal
Leahy wasn't the only Democrat to praise the pope's message on immigration. "It's a big issue to him," said Rep. Marc Veasey, who had urged the pope to talk about the issue. "Poverty, too, which plays into immigration. One of the things that I've been talking about is one of the key components to addressing immigration has to be how well our neighbors are doing to the south. We need a strong Central America, we need a strong Mexico, in order to really help with the issue of immigration and also making opportunities more readily available in those countries. … He got to it."
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Marc Veasey, TX-33, released the following statement after Pope Francis, head of the Roman Catholic Church, addressed a Joint Meeting of Congress:
"Today, I had the privilege of witnessing history. Pope Francis' address to Congress challenged elected leaders to address the moral challenges of our generation with an open heart and a spirit of compassion and cooperation.
Dallas Morning News
Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Fort Worth, invited immigration activist Lissette Moreno, who hopes "the Pope's message can help unite our country's leaders," she said in a statement.
McClatchy News
"It was very emotional," she said of having the pope go by right in front of her. A "DREAMer" – someone brought as a child to the U.S. illegally and who hopes to remain – Moreno will also see the pope Thursday in the House of Representatives chamber as a guest of Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Texas, when the pope speaks at a joint session of Congress.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Lisette Moreno, 31, of Dallas lined up at the Ellipse at 9 the night before to get a good view.
Having the pope pass right in front of her "was very emotional," she said.
A "DREAMer" — someone brought to the U.S. illegally as a child who hopes to remain — Moreno will also see the pope Thursday in the House chamber as a guest of Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Fort Worth, when the pope speaks to a joint session of Congress
Politico
House Democrats are preparing a wish-list of policies they hope Pope Francis will advocate for during his appearance on Capitol Hill this week. In a series of set to be released...
"Pope Francis, we ask you to use your voice to help us advocate for the undocumented and people living in poverty in our community," said Rep. Marc Veasey (D-Texas) in one of the videos.
Big Government
In a series of short videos released Tuesday, Democrats urge the pontiff to advocate for their issues during his address to Congress. In each video a variety of different lawmakers speak directly to the camera.
Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA), Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA), Rep. Marc Veasey (D-TX), Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA) also appeared in the immigration video directly into the camera and address their statements and desires to the Pope.
Politico
Now Democrats see a chance to use the pope's appearance to advance their own political agenda. The Congressional Hispanic Caucus is also planning a series of events this week to coincide with Hispanic Heritage Month and the pope's visit to encourage Congress to take up immigration reform. "Pope Francis, we ask you to use your voice to help us advocate for the undocumented and people living in poverty in our community," said Rep. Marc Veasey (D-Texas) in one of the videos.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey said that if the speech mentions immigration reform, his "deepest hope is that the pope's message does not fall on deaf ears and that my Republican colleagues finally bring comprehensive immigration reform to the floor for a vote."
"It is the only way that we as an elected body and as brothers and sisters of the global community can fulfill his call to action and give the undocumented community concrete hope," said Veasey, D-Fort Worth.