July 25, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 126 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1001]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          PERSONAL EXPLANATION

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. KAREN BASS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 25, 2019

  Ms. BASS. Madam Speaker, I attempted to vote in favor of H.R. 3239. 
Unfortunately, due to a mechanical error during yesterday's vote on 
this bill, my vote was not recorded.
  As a legislator, a medical professional, and an advocate of humane 
treatment for all people, I am proud to support this bill because it 
will raise the minimum standards for medical treatment of migrants and 
asylum seekers seeking refuge at our southwestern border.
  I went to the border to view the circumstances on the ground and what 
I saw were inhumane conditions. Men, women, and children should never 
be placed in cages.
  In 2018 alone, there were nine migrant deaths that occurred after an 
encounter with Customs and Border Protection--including seven-year-old 
Jakelin, who died of dehydration and shock; and eight-year-old Felipe, 
who died from influenza while in the custody of Customs and Border 
Protection.
  In the first half of 2019, there have been ten deaths, including a 
two-year-old who died from pneumonia and a 16-year-old who died from 
influenza.
  All these deaths could have been prevented. The tragic deaths of 
these children do not go unrecognized and are an unfortunate and 
disgraceful symptom of the inhumane treatment occurring at our 
southwest border.
  H.R. 3239, the Humanitarian Standards for Individuals in Customs and 
Border Protection Custody Act, introduced by Congressman Raul Ruiz, 
raises the bar on humanitarian standards at our southern border.
  Migrant children require protection from harm, but we already know 
this from our own personal experiences. Our children and grandchildren 
need pediatric health assessments and appropriate medical attention. So 
do migrant children.
  Your child's pediatrician needs the equipment and medications for 
assessment, triage and treatment. So do the health care providers for 
migrant children. Migrant children escaping dire situations deserve the 
same care for their hygiene and health.
  You wouldn't allow your children or grandchildren's safety, 
nutrition, health and hygiene needs to go unmet because you know that 
they can lead to illness and death--like the deaths of the children who 
died after being detained at the border.
  We must do better. We must dig the bar out of the ground for the 
humane and dignified treatment of migrants and raise it up to, at 
minimum, international levels, so that no more deaths occur on our 
watch. I commend and support my colleague, Congressman Ruiz, for 
introduction and passage of this bill in the House of Representatives.

                          ____________________