Addressing Immigration Inefficiencies

Floor Speech

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Ms. TOKUDA. Mr. Speaker, just days ago, a Hawaii veteran, Sae Joon Park, said goodbye to his family which included his elderly mother with dementia, his two adult children, and his home.

Mr. Park was shot twice in combat, earning a Purple Heart for his bravery. Yet despite his sacrifice, ICE officers gave him no choice but to deport himself back to South Korea after nearly 50 years.

Mr. Park served. He fought. He belonged. Yes, he made mistakes, as many veterans struggling with PTSD do, but he turned his life around. That is the reality for many veterans. They fight hard for this country and still face battles back home and, too often, alone.

Republicans are now pushing a funding bill that would abandon even more veterans like Mr. Park. It shifts critical care from the VA to private corporations and makes it harder for women and immigrant veterans to get the services they need

This bill isn't efficiency. It is cruelty. I will not stand by while Republicans turn our veterans into bargaining chips.

When we fail our veterans, we are not just breaking a promise. We are breaking our people.

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