This is awesome: Witness Embarrasses GOP Senator Who Wants To Divide Immigrant Families.
On Monday, Mee Moua, president and executive director of the Asian American Justice Center, testified before a Senate Judiciary hearing on how comprehensive immigration reform should address the needs of women and families. You see, Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) wants to cut out families from the immigration system, because keeping immigrant families together is apparently not in the best interest of the United States.
Sessions asked Moua if the government can legitimately decide that it can admit one qualified family member over, say, another less motivated, potentially less productive individual. In turn, Moua, who happens to be badass, politely schools the hell out of Sessions with her response. Oh, yes. Let us go to the video:
Boom. In case you want to review that little exchange:
SESSIONS: Ms. Moua, maybe you can comment. Do you think that a nation that decides that they can admit an individual somehow has no right to say that that person's brother would have to qualify independently, rather than being given a guaranteed entry in the country? Do you think a country can legitimately make that decision?
MOUA: Senator Sessions, coming from the Asian American community when in the 1880s we were the first people to be excluded explicitly by the United States immigration policy I’m well aware that this country has never hesitated in the way that it chooses to exercise its authority to permit people to either enter or depart its borders. And we know that the Asian American community in particular didn’t get to enjoy the benefit of immigration to this country until the 1960s when those restrictive policies were lifted. So I know very well and very aware that...
SESSIONS: Well let me just say, it seems to me. It’s perfectly logical to think there are two individuals, let’s say in a good friendly country like Honduras. One is a valedictorian of his class, has two years of college, learned English and very much has a vision to come to the United States and the other one has dropped out of high school, has minimum skills. Both are 20 years of age and that latter person has a brother here. What would be in the interest of the United States? ...
MOUA: Senator I think that under your scenario people can conclude about which is in the best interest of the United States. I think the more realistic scenario is that in the second situation that individual will be female, would not have been permitted to get an education and if we would create a system where there would be some kind of preference given to say education, or some other kind of metrics, I think that it would truly disadvantage specifically women and their opportunity to come into this country.
Senator, let me tell you about history. Let me tell you about disadvantaged women. Let me tell you about the world that we live in. Mee Moua, dropping knowledge. It sure seems simple: immigration policy should not be written by men who do not know a damn thing about the lives of immigrants.
If you agree, and would like to do to send the message that you support fair and just immigration reform that ends the separation of families, there's an online petition you can sign at 18 Million Rising: TELL CONGRESS AND THE PRESIDENT YOU SUPPORT FAIR AND JUST IMMIGRATION REFORM.
