Cori Bush — Congresswoman Cori Bush Introduces Private Bill for Alex Garcia #AlexBelongsHere

Speaker 2: Welcome and thank you for attending today's virtual

Speaker 3: press conference. My name is Gloria N. Lewinem and

I am the

Speaker 3: Congresswoman's Communications Director. Today, we are pleased to be joined by Congresswoman Cori Bush, Sarah John, Executive Director of St. Louis Interfaith Committee on Latin America, Nicole Cortez, Co-Director and Attorney for the MICA Project, Alex and Carly Garcia, Pastor Becky Turner, the Christ Church UCC in Maplewood. At this time, I will now turn the press conference over to Congresswoman Cori Bush. Congresswoman, please begin

Good

Speaker 4: afternoon, everyone, and thank you all for being here as we stand together with Alex Garcia

and

Speaker 5 (higher-pitched voice): his family. To begin, I'm going to turn it over to Sarah John and Nicole Cortes, who will share some background on Alex's case and bring you up to speed on all the work they have been doing over the last

few

Speaker 6: years. Sarah

and Nicole. Thank

Speaker 7: you. Thank you, everyone, for being here today

Speaker 8: My name is Nicole Cortez and I'm Alex Garcia's immigration attorney. I'm a co-founder

Speaker 9: and co-director of the Migrant and Immigrant Community Action Project, the MICA Project

here in St

Speaker 10 (higher-pitched voice): Louis. Thank you, Congresswoman, and thank you, everyone, for your time. My name is Sarah John. I'm the executive director of the St. Louis Interfaith Committee on Latin America, or IFCLUB, and I'm very honored to be the

Speaker 11: organizer for Alex's

case. I'll just take

Speaker 8: a few minutes to give a little bit of background about Alex. Alex came to the United States for the first time from Honduras in the year 2000. He was fleeing

Speaker 12: violence and poverty and like many others who don't have any options to come to the United States legally, crossed the border, the southern border of the United States and was detained by immigration authorities

he

Speaker 12: was placed in immigration detention and then quickly ordered removed by an immigration judge given an order of deportation. He was taken back to Honduras by those authorities and then later came to the United States again and crossed this time without being detected and came to the United States to work in hopes of supporting his family back in Honduras. He ended up in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, where a few years later he met his now wife, Carly, and they came to see me after they had gotten married and they hoped to be able to fill out the paperwork, to be able to apply for Alex's lawful status in the United States, much like Carly's parents had done when she was younger. And they hoped that Alex could someday become a US citizen. But because of that deportation order that Alex had received when he first entered the United States, they were ineligible to do anything. The immigration policies of this country didn't allow any way for Alex to apply for legal status. And as such, I sent them on their way with that information. A few years later, they reached out again because Alex had been detained by ICE, helping someone else appear for an ICE check-in. After that, we were able to speak to ICE about Alex's case and in their discretion, they decided to grant Alex a stay of removal, which meant that he was protected from deportation for a year at a time, for several years, up until 2017. So in 2017, under the Trump administration, the policies and exercise of discretion and the priorities for deportation were changed and that the renewal of his stay of removal was denied. Alex was given two weeks to appear in St. Louis at the local ICE office for removal, for deportation, and his family was unlikely to ever see him again after that unless they were to relocate. So it really meant permanent separation for

them

Speaker 9: Sarah

Speaker 10 (higher-pitched voice): Thanks, Nicole. It was around that time that I had been working with multiple congregations in the area who

Speaker 13: in light of a pretty contentious campaign, presidential campaign, were discerning their faith values and trying to understand what those values propelled them to do in light of what had become an aggressive, violent, and traumatic increase in immigration enforcement. that was impacting communities far beyond St. Louis but also here in St. Louis. So drawing on my organization's roots from the 1980s where we were actively involved in the sanctuary movement at that time, we had been having conversations about offering our houses of worship as sanctuary, as protection from deportation when unjust and outdated laws threaten our communities

So

Speaker 13: for many congregations, that was a process of education. That was a process of accompanying, of engaging and building relationships with a community that many had not had had an opportunity to reach

yet. So

Speaker 13: after considering multiple, I would say limited options with, as Nicole had mentioned, that's when I had the opportunity to meet Alex and Carly. And after going through sort of what sanctuary might be and what that how that might be a tool for fighting for this family's permanent unity, Alex made the decision to move into sanctuary at Christ Church in order to fight for that permanent right to stay with his family in Missouri

So

Speaker 13: since then, we have built a huge community of support locally and nationwide. Currently, there are over 4,000 people that support Alex and that are fighting for this family and other families. We are building power and organizing through multiple strategies until this family, and as Carly and Alex have expressed multiple times, and all immigrant families are free to live and love in the fullest expression of human dignity

A private

Speaker 8: bill that Congresswoman Cori Bush is introducing today would provide a pathway to legal status, a

Speaker 7: pathway to citizenship for Alex, enabling him to stay with his family forever. Private

bills like this one meet

Speaker 14: immediate needs of Alex and would similar bills be introduced for others would meet

Speaker 13: those needs of dozens of other people who are living in sanctuary like Alex. They also paved the way for broader reforms that decriminalize

Speaker 15: immigrants and all communities of color. So with that, we are so thankful Congresswoman for your leadership

Speaker 16: Thank you

Thank you Sarah and

Speaker 17: Nicole for being here today

Speaker 18: and for your tireless work and advocacy on behalf of Alex and his family

I

Speaker 18: extend my deepest gratitude to both of you as well as everyone at the St. Louis Interfaith Committee on Latin America and the MICA Project. I'd also like to thank Pastor Becky Turner of the Christchurch UCC in Maplewood and all those who have been standing with Alex and Carly for so long. I'm so proud to stand with you all today as we introduce legislation for immigration relief for Alex because he belongs here

To

Speaker 18: the Garcia family, the pain that these long three and a half years have brought is unimaginable. But know that

Speaker 5 (higher-pitched voice): you are not alone. Today, I want to make clear that St. Louis bears it with

you

Speaker 18: supports you, and is fighting with you. The power of our community is limitless. And to Alex

We

Speaker 18: thank you for entrusting us with your story. Our immigration system

as it

Speaker 18: stands today is a perpetrator of crimes against humanity. It is a

Speaker 5 (higher-pitched voice): system that separates children from parents, puts kids in cages, incentivizes dangerous crossings through unforgiving terrain, and offers limited pathways to citizenship. All the while, private detention centers profit off the struggles of migrant communities. ICE and Customs and Border Patrol have created a culture of perpetual fear that terrorizes immigrant communities. It is a terror that has led us to this moment. Alex Garcia is a father. He is a husband. He has lived in this country for 14 years

For

Speaker 5 (higher-pitched voice): 11 of those years, he lived

Speaker 18: safely at home with his family until 2017, as we just heard. The Trump administration's immigration crackdown led to the denial of Alex's request for a stay of removal. After 11 years, Alex and his family's lives were upended. He

Speaker 5 (higher-pitched voice): could not safely return to Honduras, a nation he fled amidst violence and extreme poverty

He

Speaker 5 (higher-pitched voice): could not

Speaker 18: he could not fathom losing his family, his family could not fathom losing him

In this

Speaker 18: moment of peril, it was the power of community that intervened

Christ Church

Speaker 18: UCC, led by Pastor Becky, opened its doors and offered sanctuary. Sarah John of IFLA and so many others who made sure to make it clear that

Speaker 5 (higher-pitched voice): Alec belongs here

And

Speaker 5 (higher-pitched voice): we appreciate you all for that

For more

Speaker 5 (higher-pitched voice): than three years, Alex has been separated from his family. That's more than three years that his wife, Carly, has been vaulted into carrying the heavy weight of raising young children without her husband and their father

That's more

Speaker 5 (higher-pitched voice): than three years that his children have endured a trauma that will affect them as they grow into adults. That

Speaker 19: happened here on our watch. Three and a half years of

his young

Speaker 19: children being asked, why

does

Speaker 5 (higher-pitched voice): your dad live in a church? It's

a question they don't have

Speaker 5 (higher-pitched voice): an answer to

They don't

Speaker 5 (higher-pitched voice): know why their dad cannot come home, but it's not just them. There is no right answer

There is no

Speaker 5 (higher-pitched voice): right answer for a system that is holding their father hostage because our country refuses to grant him the right to live freely. There is no right answer

for why

Speaker 5 (higher-pitched voice): Alex and his family are living this cruel reality. Alex

is a person

Speaker 5 (higher-pitched voice): who is beloved by the community. You're

so loved. When

Speaker 19: asked what Alex means to them, a

community member said that

Speaker 5 (higher-pitched voice): Alex Garcia is the finest human being I've met in my 72 years. Another wrote

that Alex is the finest human being I've met in my 72 years. I never

Speaker 5 (higher-pitched voice): realized the damage our policies have done till I met Alex and his amazing family

I have

Speaker 5 (higher-pitched voice): never met a kinder, more deserving man. He is a gift to us all. He's a gift to all of us in this country he calls home. Yet another wrote, Alex fled extreme poverty and violence. and has led a quintessential American life in small town Missouri. He is the most

Speaker 18: brave and kind person I've ever met. Alex is the kind of neighbor you want living next door. He and his family deserve to live together right here in the heartland of our beautiful big hearted country. So personally, I've known Alex and Carly for some time

now. But

Speaker 18: when I met Alex and his family again just last week at Christ Church, I was so moved by his compassion

Speaker 5 (higher-pitched voice): his love for his family, and his unbreakable spirit. It's a spirit I know well. It's

the spirit

Speaker 18: that carried me through being unhoused and raising two children as a single mother. And it is that spirit that our office will carry with us as we move forward with this effort. Today, we have

Speaker 5 (higher-pitched voice): introduced a private piece of legislation. Private, meaning that it only pertains to Alex. That would grant Alex permanent residency here and would allow him to reunite with his wonderful family

Even before

Speaker 5 (higher-pitched voice): it becomes law, the bill can help Alex get home

Upon passage

Speaker 5 (higher-pitched voice): out of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship

Alex

Speaker 5 (higher-pitched voice): will be granted

Speaker 18: a stay of removal for the duration of the 117th Congress

Now, the

Speaker 18: road ahead will not be easy

Since

Speaker 5 (higher-pitched voice): 2007, only four private bills have been signed into law

But that

Speaker 5 (higher-pitched voice): will not discourage. It won't discourage us. Because we, what we see, when we see that four bills, four of those private bills have been signed into law, I'm

sorry

Speaker 5 (higher-pitched voice): is hope we see it as a possibility and as an opportunity and today we are extending a hand of partnership to the biden administration to say alex is one of us he deserves dignity and freedom and just like we expect you to end all family separations mr president

We

Speaker 5 (higher-pitched voice): also expect you to help us allow Alex to be with his. We are fighting for Alex because Alex belongs here

Because his family

Speaker 5 (higher-pitched voice): does not deserve this. No family deserves this. Because our community needs to be a place where immigrants are welcomed, safe, and have what they need to live a decent life

What

Speaker 5 (higher-pitched voice): is happening to Alex is unacceptable, and

it is

Speaker 5 (higher-pitched voice): the manifestation of a system that criminalizes the experiences of black and brown immigrants, that criminalizes the experience of human migration

For no good

Speaker 5 (higher-pitched voice): reason at all, and for reasons that have to do with systemic systems of white supremacy that we must dismantle. Bringing Alex home and so many others like him forced into sanctuary by cruel immigration policies is a priority in that work

This will

Speaker 5 (higher-pitched voice): not be an easy fight, but that's never stopped us before, and it won't stop us today. We stand with Alex and we will not rest until he is free. and protected from the most inhumane elements of our country's immigration system we reiterate loudly and clearly that alex belongs here now

We

Speaker 5 (higher-pitched voice): will hear directly from

Speaker 21: Alex and

Carly

Speaker 23: Garcia

I

Speaker 24: believe from the

Speaker 25: bottom of my heart that Congresswoman Cori

Speaker 26: and her team will do everything in their power for my freedom

I hope

Speaker 26: the pride bill she is introducing for me will be the pathway for me to stay with my family forever. I miss spending time with my family outside of the church walls. It has been very hard for me watching my babies grow and learn without

me. being by

Speaker 26: their side

It's me

Speaker 26: more than worse can explain how I feel about the promise she has made to me, my family and other families live in the same injustice as we are

Thank you

Speaker 27: Congresswoman Corrie for being our champion and fighting for my freedom, in my family because we are just fighting to be heard. We are fighting for freedom

and family unity for all those living

Speaker 26: on the broken and slow

I'm so grateful to

Speaker 28: have met Congresswoman Corey and her team. She is the champion

Speaker 29 (higher-pitched voice): that we have all been waiting for, to take a stand against racism and fight against the injustices we have all endured over the years. I am so glad she is introducing a private bill that will allow my husband to stay

in

Speaker 29 (higher-pitched voice): because existing laws have failed us over and over again. Outdated and unjust immigration laws forced my family separation

We've been living

Speaker 29 (higher-pitched voice): in this cycle of trauma for the last three and a half years, and it has felt unbearable. Seeing my babies cry for their father and seeing my husband unable to meet their needs Because he can't leave the church? No mother should have to endure

that. We just want

Speaker 29 (higher-pitched voice): the freedom to live our lives as a whole family. It means the world to me that Representative Corey and her team are so eager to help me pick up the pieces of my family that were torn apart by the inhumane and unjust

laws. We know

Speaker 29 (higher-pitched voice): she is fighting for bigger reforms too so that no family has to go through what we have

been living. Words

Speaker 29 (higher-pitched voice): can never express the gratitude and love I have for the strong amazing woman and

her team. Thank

Speaker 30: you so much Congresswoman Corey for all that

you are doing. Hello

Speaker 31: everyone I am Pastor Becky Turner and I'm a pastor at Christ Church United Church of Christ in Maplewood, Missouri. When Alex arrived at the church three and a half years ago when Sarah brought him to us, he was our guest. Our whole community embraced him and we did our best to welcome him. And we did this because it is what the Bible commands us to do. It's what God expects of us, to welcome the stranger and give shelter, to treat the traveler as we would any member of our own community

We provided

Speaker 31: safety, but

it was

Speaker 31: never a home

For the first

Speaker 31: year, more than a year, we hardly ever saw Alex smile

It

Speaker 31: was so hard for Carly to tear their crying children away from him to make the trip home each Sunday afternoon. It was gut-wrenching to witness. But

when his wife and children

Speaker 31: moved to Maplewood to be near him, the smile began to come out. His body relaxed a

bit. For

Speaker 31: us, it was like he was a new person, but in fact, he was able to be more of the person that he really was

one that we

Speaker 31: hadn't seen. This father and husband loves his family more than one could ever describe. He

needs them, and

Speaker 31: they need him desperately. It

is my

Speaker 31: honor

to

Speaker 31: know this beautiful family

But the church

Speaker 31: had the easy part. All we had to do was love some beautiful people. No one should have to live within church walls for three and a half

years. Family

Speaker 31: separation under the Trump administration took many different forms, and this was one of them. Had Alex been deported, there is a very good chance he would not have seen his children again, at least not until they were adults. And that is inhumane. We provided the only way that we knew to prevent them from being torn apart

But

Speaker 31: living in a church should have been a very short-term solution. No

family should go

Speaker 31: through what they have been through

And it's they who

Speaker 31: have taught our church what love really means. They've taught us courage, persistence, community, compassion, faith

compassion. I have

Speaker 31: watched as Alex gave away the food that was donated to him when someone would come to the door saying they

needed food

Speaker 31: I would watch as he set up beds for the unhoused on cold winter nights. I watched as he would take care of our church members who needed something fixed or built or found

Alex the

Speaker 31: guest quickly became Alex the host

He is a

Speaker 31: beloved member of our family now

He should

Speaker 31: never have received that order of deportation. The country needs more people like Alex. We are so grateful to Congresswoman Bush for her efforts to give Alex

the a

Speaker 31: pathway to citizenship so that his family can

Speaker 32: remain together forever as it should be

Thank you, Pastor Becky

Speaker 33: Turner. We're now going to open it up for

Speaker 3: questions. This is an incredibly important and personal case, so we would appreciate

it

Speaker 3: if everyone could keep their questions on topic. And please remember to submit your questions for our speakers in the chat. And as a reminder, I will call on reporters who have submitted questions to ask their questions live. Our first question is from Catherine Hessel

from KTVI

Speaker 3: Catherine, please unmute yourself to ask your question

Hi

Speaker 34: yeah, thanks so much for having me. My question is for Carly and Alex. They talked a little bit about those two

Speaker 35: weeks that you guys were given before Alex had to appear knowing that he would possibly get deported and that you guys may never see him again. What were those two weeks like? If you guys can describe that

Receiving the letter

Speaker 29 (higher-pitched voice): saying that Alex needed to

come to

Speaker 29 (higher-pitched voice): the ICE office for removal

It was really hard. It's

Speaker 37: really hard to think about that

feeling

Speaker 38 (higher-pitched voice): It's because there wasn't any options for us at that time

He

Speaker 38 (higher-pitched voice): was going to be deported there. There wasn't a, if he was to be deported, they were planning on putting him on a plane and sending him out of our country so that we would no longer see him. Those two weeks. I honestly, I would not wish it on anyone

I still to

Speaker 38 (higher-pitched voice): this day live in, remembering those days, remembering what it was like to open that letter

And it's crippling

Speaker 30: every time I think about it

Thank you. Our

Speaker 39: next question is from Maria from the Washington Post

Speaker 40: Maria you may unmute your line and

ask your

Speaker 41: question okay um thank you all for for having this i appreciate it um

i guess my

Speaker 41: first i just have two quick questions

um So

Speaker 42 (higher-pitched voice): Carly and Alex, I wanted to thank you for being here. I wanted to ask you, Carly, since you're a US citizen, can you sponsor him for citizenship? Is that an

option? Right now, it's not

Speaker 28: because

Speaker 29 (higher-pitched voice): he already has a deportation. Nicole can definitely talk more about that if you need more information

OK

Speaker 41: that would be great just to understand, you know, if he can get a waiver or something if because you you have that that right and people with deportation orders have been sponsored in the past. Just I would love to know more about that. And then Congresswoman, the question for you, you're right about the, of course, about the private bills and the

the

Speaker 41: success they haven't had and you have about I think 60,000 undocumented immigrants in Missouri so how are you explaining to them you know um you know

I mean

Speaker 41: there are a lot of people who would like a private bill I think um but why um is this the only one you filed are you planning to file others for the

other folks who are

Speaker 43: in your state

uh Yes

Speaker 43: this is the

Speaker 18: only private bill that we filed. Alex is in sanctuary in our district and this Alex is in sanctuary, you know, so that is why we

Speaker 44: are moving forward with this. But our work is to make sure that we are helping to support

our community. our

Speaker 44: immigrant families and our undocumented community members all across not only the state but the country but this particular situation um i met uh carly a few years ago um and was in when i was an activist and she told me about her situation uh what was going on with her family um and so for me it was just wait until i get some power behind me to be able to help this family. And now, you know, I didn't let go of that. We did what we could just as, you know, just on the activist side, but now I'm in a position to be able to do more. And I made that promise to this family and I'm going to keep it because Alex, because he belongs here

And I'll just

Speaker 12: jump in Maria and answer, give a little more context to your question about Carly's ability to petition for Alex. So as I mentioned, that was their intent when they came to see me at the beginning of the press conference. I'm not sure you were on at that point, but because of the deportation order that was given to Alex when he first attempted to come to the United States, The only existing option for Carly as a U.S. citizen to petition for him would be for him to leave the United States, remain outside for 10 years, and then Carly could begin the petition process that would then require her to request a waiver. So he's not eligible to request a waiver. at like now as some undocumented folks are who don't have the prior order because he was issued the deportation order and then re-entered after that time. So it's sometimes referred to as the permanent bar, but it's a bar that can only be waived after 10 years outside the United States. We did file the first petition for Alex and Carly. It's called an I-130 petition. It's a petition that you can file for a foreign spouse. And in fact, the agency, because we believe because Alex had taken sanctuary, the agency has not adjudicated that petition in two and a half years. That would have just begun the

Speaker 45: process for them and had that initial approval done in the event the law changes

in their favor. Thank you. The

Speaker 3: next question is from Nassim from the Post-Dispatch. Nassim, you may unmute your line and ask

your question. - Hi

Speaker 46 (lower-pitched voice): thank you. I just had a question. Former representative William Lacey Clay introduced a somewhat similar bill in 2019 to rescind the order of deportation and grant Alex a permanent residency. It appears that bill stalled after it was referred to the committee. What can be done this time to ensure that this bill passes further

S

Speaker 18: So, You know, this bill itself, thank you, Hussein, this bill itself, you know, is not really

Speaker 44: different, but we understand introducing a private bill alone is just one step in a complex process when Congress seeks to provide immigration relief

and

Speaker 44: introduction alone, it won't bring Alex home. We understand that. But the thing is, he needs a partner and a champion in Congress. And my office is committed to showing up for him as we have since before I was sworn in. We not only introduced the bill, but we are in close conversations with Chairman Jerry Nadler, as well as Chairwoman Zoe Loughran

and

Speaker 44: Loughran and her staff on the House Judiciary Immigration and Citizenship Committee. We're doing everything in our power to ensure that Alex's case is a priority. So I think that that is something that will be different

Thank

Speaker 47: you. OK, our next question is from Doyle from the Riverfront Times. Doyle, you may unmute your line and ask

your question

Speaker 48: Hi

Speaker 49: thank you. Before the Trump administration, just getting a private bill introduced was often enough to get a delay in the deportation. Is that the situation that we're in again under the new administration? Whether this gets

Speaker 50 (lower-pitched voice): passed or not, is it just getting introduced, is that going to be

enough to

Speaker 50 (lower-pitched voice): delay the deportation order it

Speaker 44: needs to pass out of the subcommittee that's why we're working with the subcommittee so it has it has to pass there first

just a quick follow-up do you

Speaker 51: have

Speaker 50 (lower-pitched voice): any kind of timetable on when this might happen when he might be able to leave

okay can you repeat the

Speaker 52: question oh

Speaker 49: sorry um do we is there any kind of uh timetable on when you hope this might happen or when he might be able to actually

Speaker 50 (lower-pitched voice): to walk out of the church no

let me

Speaker 53: try it yeah nicole would

you have

Speaker 53: an answer for that

Um, so

Speaker 12: no, I don't have an answer about when potentially that stay of removal could kick in because of the passage out of committee, or out of the subcommittee, I'm sorry. There was guidance issued late last week. Gives ice some new instructions about how to handle folks in enforcement actions and what to do and not do. We are in conversations with St. Louis ice about what might be done for Alex separate from, you know, all intertwined in the same fight, but separate from the private bill efforts. um in the interim as we continue uh

our

Speaker 54: efforts with the private bill and other efforts to get a permanent legal status for alex okay

our last uh question

Speaker 55: for the day is from ray again from the riverfront times ray

you may

Speaker 56: unmute your line hi

Speaker 57: congresswoman um uh Have you had communication with Congresswoman Ann Wagner or Senators Roy Blunt or Josh Hawley about your bill and or about Alex

Right now, I am focused

Speaker 18: on introducing the bill for Alex to begin the process to get him home. i do plan to speak with the senators in the very near future to ensure we're doing everything i mean

Speaker 44: everything possible to get him home safely and from up under this threat of deportation but right now we're getting

this bill done today that's our focus - Thank you so much everyone for your questions. I

Speaker 59: believe

Speaker 3: we got to all of the questions in the chat and that wraps up our question and answer session. Congresswoman Bush, I'll turn it over to you for closing remarks

Speaker 60: Sure, thank you, Gloria. Before we close, To those of

Speaker 18: you tuning in at home, I want to thank you for joining us today. To our partners, Sarah John, executive director for St. Louis Interfaith Committee on Latin America, IFLA, Nicole Cortez, co-director and attorney for the MICA Project, and Pastor Becky Turner of Christchurch UCC in Maplewood

I know

Speaker 18: I speak for my entire office when I say that we are so grateful to be doing this work together. And lastly, to the Garcia family, Know that our office is doing everything

Speaker 44: within our power to deliver a just future for all of you. We are here for you, whatever you may need, and we will continue to work for justice, not only for Alex, but to deliver a just immigration system for all people who seek home right here in this country

Thanks

Speaker 44: everyone

Thank you