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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E965-E966]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
STOP CRUELTY TO MIGRANT CHILDREN ACT
______
HON. GRACE MENG
of new york
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, July 23, 2019
Ms. MENG. Madam Speaker, I rise to emphasize the urgent need to
assist migrant children at our Southern land border. The Trump
Administration's treatment of asylum-seeking families at the border is
un-American and inhumane.
There have been over 2,500 children separated from their families at
our border. Of the 2,500, 1,033 were under the age of ten when they
were detained, including 103 that were under five. Last year, I
traveled to Texas to see the conditions first-hand. At the McAllen CBP
Central Processing Center, I saw children being kept in large cages,
most separated from their parents. At the Port Isabel ICE Detention
Center, I cried with mothers who had their children taken away from
them.
A year later and there are still serious overcrowding and prolonged
detention of unaccompanied migrant children. At Rio Grande Valley, 826
of the 2,669 children detained had been held longer than the 72 hours
generally permitted under the current CBP standards and the Flores
Agreement. Furthermore, children had no access to showers and had not
been provided hot meals.
Madam Speaker, no child should have to endure the conditions of the
Trump administration's anti-immigrant rhetoric, regardless of their
immigration status. UNHCR's High Commissioner for Human Rights,
Michelle Bachelet, herself said she was ``deeply shocked that children
are forced to sleep on the floor in overcrowded facilities, without
access to adequate healthcare or food, and with poor sanitation
conditions.'' Detention is never in the best interest of any child--and
it is heartbreaking to know that these children may have serious damage
to their health and development as a result of this Administration's
shameful practice.
This is why I am introducing the ``Stop Cruelty to Migrant Children
Act''. This the bill would:
End family separations except in situations where the child is a
trafficking victim, not the child of the accompanying adult, or in
danger of abuse or neglect.
Set minimum health and safety standards for children and families in
Border Patrol Stations; require access to toothbrushes, diapers, soap
and showers and other hygiene products; require regular nutritious
meals; and ensure a prompt medical assessment by trained medical
providers.
[[Page E966]]
End for-profit contractors from operating new Office of Refugee
Resettlement (ORR) standard shelters or influx facilities. Such
shelters or facilities must be state-licensed, meet Flores Settlement
Agreement standards, and not used to house children indefinitely.
Expand alternatives to detention and the successful Family Case
Management Program (FCMP), which was a program that was designed to
increase compliance with immigration obligations through a
comprehensive case management strategy supported by community
organizations.
Remove roadblocks to placing unaccompanied children with sponsors by
lowering the total number of cases a manager may take, mandating lower
staffing ratios, and ending the information sharing agreement between
ORR and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Ensure unaccompanied children have access to legal counsel and
continue to be placed in a safe setting for their initial asylum case
review.
Provide resources to non-profit centers that are helping provide
humanitarian assistance.
Permit Members of Congress, accompanying staff, and credentialed
press (without cameras) to visit any facility with 24-hour notice.
We need to ensure that our government funds must not be used to
traumatize or harm asylum seekers. The Trump administration's lack of
empathy and compassion for migrant families and children at the U.S.-
Mexico border is heartbreaking and demands action by Congress. Those
who come to our nation should be treated with dignity and respect and
that is something the administration has failed to provide when
treating migrant families. We have a crisis at the southern border, and
we need to ensure our officials have the resources they need while
respecting the dignity of those in the U.S. government's care. I urge
my colleagues to support this legislation and join me in the fight to
protect children's human rights.
____________________