The energy industry and employment go hand in hand. You can’t have one without the other. It’s why the immigration issue has become important to the nation’s economy.
This past week, the U.S. House voted down a hard-line immigrant bill and Oklahoma Rep. Steve Russell was one of those who made an impassioned plea on the floor of the House to kill the measure.
In a nearly 20-minute speech Thursday night, the Republican Representative argued the history of the U.S. has been built on immigrants, rich or poor.
“As such, I am disturbed by the abandonment of principle on both sides of the aisle—the acceptance of soundbites in lieu of facts and the framing of popular even if opposing sentiments that are used to leverage political power,” said Russell. He went on to suggest racism lies at the heart of some of the opposition to allow immigrants in at the border with Texas.
Russell argued the nation needs the workers.
“The percentage of native-born workers to fuel our construction and agricultural economies do not exist,” he stated. “We can either import workers or we can import our food.”
The retired Army combat officer spoke in defense of immigration.
“We must defend it when the critic sitting on the couch eating his bag of cheese puffs is pecking out hatred and vitriol. We must defend it and have courage when voters are caught up with sincere passions, demanding security that might kill our liberty based on facts that are not true!”
In the end, the hard-line bill was killed on a 193-231 vote. Forty-one Republicans joined all of the Democrats in killing the measure.