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[Pages H1997-H1998]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HUMANITARIAN STANDARDS
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from
California (Mr. Ruiz) for 5 minutes.
Mr. RUIZ. Mr. Speaker, two names have been lost in months of
government shutdowns and threats of national emergencies: Jakelin Caal
Maquin and Felipe Gomez Alonzo. Those were the children who died in
December while in the custody of our Federal Government.
Let me tell you a bit about Jakelin's story and how, in the next 48
hours, we will take a historic first step to forever change how our
Nation treats children fleeing violence.
Jakelin Caal Maquin was 7 years old. She joined her father in fleeing
the extreme danger and poverty of her village, San Antonio Secortez in
Guatemala. Together, they dreamed of new opportunities, of new safety,
of a home free from violence and discrimination where they could build
a life and support their loved ones at home.
Jakelin and her father chose the same destination that asylum
seekers, immigrants, and refugees have sought for centuries: the United
States of America.
But the conditions I saw at the Border Patrol facilities where
Jakelin and her father were held were not worthy of our American
ideals. The conditions did not demonstrate respect for the human
dignity of the individuals in our Federal Government's care.
Look, I am a doctor. I know what a functioning emergency medical
response protocol looks like and how it should operate, and this was
not it.
I saw women, infants, toddlers, and the elderly packed and even piled
on top of each other, open toilets in crowded cells without any
privacy, visibly sick people, children coughing on one another, and I
immediately saw that the Border Patrol agents did not have the
resources to respond to a life-threatening medical emergency.
Mr. Speaker, let me put this into perspective. I traveled to Haiti
days after the devastating 2010 earthquake, where I served as the
medical director of the country's largest camp of internally displaced
people. The conditions I saw at the New Mexico Border Patrol facilities
were worse than those I saw in Haiti, the most impoverished country in
the Western Hemisphere, after their most challenging and devastating
disaster.
Here we are, the greatest nation on our planet, and we are putting
children in cages and denying them free access to food, water, and a
private toilet.
Then and there, I committed myself to creating humanitarian standards
that are worthy of human dignity: real solutions, not empty promises,
that will save the lives of children at the border.
I introduced legislation that makes it clear Congress expects CBP to
implement three crucial reforms as soon as possible:
First, provide meaningful medical examinations of individuals
entering our borders. A basic physical exam would have shown warning
signs of Jakelin's septic shock and most probably saved her life. A
child who dies from septic shock does not look normal 8 hours
beforehand.
Second, invest in essential medical equipment and trained medical
personnel available to respond to life-threatening emergencies. When
medical care is far away, agents need the resources, equipment, and
knowledge to care for each other and the individuals in their custody.
Third, provide basic humane living conditions that are safe and
hygienic, where individuals can access adequate food, water, and
showers.
These are straightforward reforms. They move us closer to a system
that is safe, humane, and aligns with our fundamental ideals as
Americans.
Our work is not done, but we have reached an important milestone. We
are beginning to address the humanitarian crisis at our border, not
with rhetoric and political showboating or grandstanding, but with
real, life-saving solutions.
This week, we will not just pass a bill that averts a government
shutdown; we will pass a bill that provides funding for, and holds CBP
accountable to, implementing the humanitarian standards included in my
legislation, H. Con. Res. 17. These reforms will save lives and help
restore our legacy as a nation that recognizes the dignity and
fundamental rights of every human being.
[[Page H1998]]
So, Mr. Speaker, I will speak the names of those two children again:
Felipe Gomez Alonzo and Jakelin Caal Maquin. We must have the courage
to recognize their humanity.
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