SAN JOSE, CA - Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA) issued the following statement at the May 1, 2006 National Day of Action & Family Unity rally in support of comprehensive, just reform of U.S. immigration laws:

“It is an honor to join in today’s peaceful Day of Action and Family Unity in celebration of immigrants’ invaluable contributions to the wonder that is the United States of America.

“If America is to remain prosperous and globally competitive, we must quickly repair our fundamentally broken immigration system while ensuring the integrity and security of our national borders.

"This means comprehensive reform that unites families separated by overly restrictive laws, provides a path to citizenship for hard-working, law-abiding immigrants and maintains America’s historic commitment to civil rights for all.

“This will require sincere cooperation and dialogue amongst Democrats and Republicans, labor, business and immigrant communities. I am heartened that so many in our community have committed themselves to peacefully and sincerely addressing this issue.

“It is my sincere hope that my colleagues on Capitol Hill will follow their lead with equal vigor. We in Congress must reject the impulse to turn our land of freedom into a walled-in, fearful country. America must not become the East Germany of the 21st Century.

“Silicon Valley owes much of its dynamism and success to the ingenuity and hard work of immigrants from many lands. I am privileged to represent this community in the U.S. Congress, and will do my utmost to ensure that we continue to attract the people who make our area the state’s – and the country’s – hi-tech engine.”