Shadowing Practice: We need to Abolish ICE. | Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Representative, my name is Regina Vellamasta and I'm a graduate student at the Harris School of Public Policy.
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Representative, my name is Regina Vellamasta and I'm a graduate student at the Harris School of Public Policy.
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As a Latina and a former waitress and bartender,
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it's such an inspiration and an honor to hear you speak.
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My question is about immigration.
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A record 45 billion has gone into immigration enforcement.
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How will the average American family benefit from this investment and how do Democrats shape immigration reform moving forward?
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I think we're hard pressed to see how the average American's going to benefit from rounding up innocent people,
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building a mass surveillance state,
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giving impunity to folks that are shooting Americans dead in the street.
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We need to abolish ICE.
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And I can't tell you how the average American's gonna benefit from it,
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but I can tell you how we are gonna pay the price.
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We're gonna pay the price
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because a trillion dollars was gutted out of our healthcare care system to pay for an extrajudicial force
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that is building a mass surveillance database of everyday Americans,
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scanning your face, observing your online activity,
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looking at your purchases without so much as a judicial warrant when they decide to bust into people's houses.
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But on a deeper level,
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what this is going to cost us also in our economic outlook and our humanity.
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First in our economic outlook,
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one of the only reasons that the United States
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outperformed the rest of the developed world in terms of how we weathered the COVID pandemic,
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because while it was hard for us,
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the rest of the world had it way worse.
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And one of the only reasons that we fared the way that we did was because of immigrants.
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When you think about how immigrants show up in your life,
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whether they are your friends,
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your co-workers, etc. Our health care system stands to collapse without immigrants.
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Our food system stands to collapse.
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Our housing system stands to collapse.
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That's the economic point.
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Then there is the human point.
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What is it costing us?
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as human beings and as a society,
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to look the other way when women and children and innocent people and young men of promise
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are ripped off the street and thrown into a van and disappeared and you never see them again.
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There's what that costs them,
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but think about what it costs you to look the other way.
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What does it cost us as a society that starts to normalize looking the other way?
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Then we start looking the other way as women bleed out in parking lots in states that have banned abortion.
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We start looking the other way as VRA districts start to get stripped out of our Congress.
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We start looking the other way as the free press becomes consumed
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and intimidated by the very powers that they exist to check.
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What does it cost us and you as a human being to look the other way?
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And so there's the economic cost.
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your health care is going up long term care for our parents
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and grandparents are going to skyrocket it is costing us it's already costing us
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and then there's what does it cost our soul and that you know in a political context people think that that's
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naive flowery talk I don't think it is
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because what is all of this for
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if it is not to live a dignified life in a community and country of integrity.

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About This Lesson

In this lesson, you will practice English listening and speaking skills through an analysis of immigration policy as discussed by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. This engaging speech highlights the complexity of immigration reform and its implications for American society. By listening and shadowing the transcript, you will enhance your understanding of key themes while also improving your English pronunciation and fluency. This exercise is designed to help you articulate your thoughts on significant social issues, which is essential for effective communication.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • immigration enforcement - the measures taken to ensure that immigration laws are followed.
  • abolish - to formally put an end to a system, practice, or institution.
  • economic outlook - the projected state of the economy and its growth potential.
  • extrajudicial - occurring outside the legal framework of the judiciary.
  • health care system - the network of organizations, people, and resources that deliver health care services.
  • surveillance state - a government that extensively monitors its citizens' activities.
  • normalize - to make something that is not normal become regarded as normal.
  • impunity - exemption from punishment or freedom from the injurious consequences of an action.

Practice Tips

To make the most of your shadowing practice with this video, follow these tips:

  • Slow down your playback: Start by playing the video at a slower speed to grasp each word and phrase. This will make it easier to mimic the speaker’s pronunciation and intonation.
  • Focus on emotion: Pay attention to the emotional delivery of the words. Ocasio-Cortez's tone and urgency convey the importance of the subject, which is vital for grasping the message fully.
  • Repeat in chunks: Break down the transcript into smaller sections. Shadow the speaker in chunks, repeating after each sentence or phrase, to improve your rhythm and pacing.
  • Record and compare: After practicing, record your own voice while shadowing. Listen to the original video and compare the two to identify areas for improvement.
  • Engage with the content: Reflect on the topics discussed in the video — this will make your practice more meaningful and help you express your understanding of complex issues in English.

Utilizing shadowspeak techniques while working through this content will aid significantly in your quest to improve English pronunciation and expressive speaking. Make this shadowing site a part of your regular practice, and watch your linguistic skills flourish.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

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