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Congressional Daily Record
This section captures a floor statement or debate entry. It mentions members such as Ayanna Pressley.
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March 26, 2026
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Download official House Record PDFReturn to issue contextMs. Pressley of Massachusetts was recognized to address the House for 5 minutes.)
Ms. PRESSLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to remember Emmanuel Damas, who was 56 years old, a father, brother, son, valued community member, and neighbor of the Massachusetts 7th.
violence, instability, and crisis in Haiti, only to be abducted by ICE and transferred far from his family.
for a toothache, a basic human right. He was repeatedly denied medical care. That toothache became an infection, an infection that resulted in septic shock, as infection took over Emmanuel's body. I can only imagine the agony he was in. Eventually, Emmanuel fell into a coma, and he died a tragic, preventable, shameful death.
Mr. Speaker, this is not an isolated tragedy, but a pattern of cruelty and neglect that is robbing us of lives. Emmanuel was at least the 10th person to die in ICE custody this year, and his death was entirely preventable.
he would still be alive, at home with his family—there must be accountability.
community, and together we will keep pushing for the accountability, transparency, and healing they deserve.
Honoring Our TSA Workers
Ms. PRESSLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of our dedicated TSA workers throughout the country, including in the Massachusetts 7th, who take pride in their essential work and call Boston Logan International Airport their employer. They have gone 40 days without pay for their essential work.
or serving the traveling public. This is all a ploy for power and pushing an inhumane agenda against our immigrant neighbors.
Let's go back to Project 2025. I am a cofounder of the Stop Project 2025 Task Force here in the House. Project 2025 proposed privatizing TSA screening, shifting airport workers away from the government and its protections and into the hands of private contractors. It called for the deunionizing of TSA workers immediately.
What we see unfolding right now, this is not a contingency plan. It was always the plan. To bring in ICE agents who continue to be paid as if they will be able to step in for these highly trained, dedicated, and still unpaid TSA workers is not a solution.
Mr. Speaker, these are the lives and livelihoods of our neighbors, who are strained by missing paychecks and an inability to put food on the table.
Republicans have refused each and every time. The cruelty is truly the point.
Sexual Violence Survivors
Ms. PRESSLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak to survivors of sexual violence in my district, across the country, and around the world. As a survivor of sexual violence myself, their stories matter. I am so sorry for what they have been through, the shame they carry that was never theirs to carry.
carried on without consequence. Last week, our sister survivor Dolores Huerta shared her story publicly for the first time. She revealed that she feared if she came forward there would be no justice or accountability, only the vilification of a workers' movement she had dedicated her life to. Imagine the burden, the pain, the silence she carried.
to hide their pain and wake up every day carrying on for their children, for their community, for their family, while they are shattered inside.
No survivor should have to suffer in silence. Society tells us our silence will stop the shame and trauma. It does not.
privacy if it is part of their healing journey, I want survivors to know that I believe them. I believe them if their voice shakes. I believe them if it happened decades ago. I believe them if they shared their story in real time or buried it away for years. I believe them.
me tell you, anyone who violates another person in this way is small and broken. They should not be feared. They should be named, shamed, and held accountable for survivors everywhere.