Tearing Immigrant Children Away From Their Parents

Floor Speech

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Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Correa for yielding, and I thank him for organizing this Special Order.

It is a part of immigration law--it is not a violation of immigration law, it is a part of immigration law--that people fleeing for their lives can come to the United States and apply for asylum. Not only is that in our statutes, but it is also in a treaty that we ratified. People concerned about the rule of law ought to realize this is part of our law.

Here is what is happening. People fleeing for their lives, primarily from Central America, are going to the ports of entry. In some cases, we have received reports that they make their claim and their children are taken away from them, I believe in violation of law.

In other cases, even though they are there to make an application, they are turned away by Border Patrol. They then go down the road and find a Border Patrol agent to turn themselves in to, to make their claim for political asylum. And when that happens, their children are then taken away from them.

Mr. Speaker, there is a report today from the Department of Health and Human Services, which says that since this policy was adopted by the Trump administration, 1,329 kids have been taken from their parents in this cruel policy. I think that this is not the American way.

Mr. Speaker, I saw a report from CNN today. Here is what it says: ``The undocumented immigrant from Honduras sobbed as she told an attorney Tuesday how Federal authorities took her daughter while she breastfed the child in a detention center . . . when the woman resisted, she was handcuffed. . . .''

The Catholic church has spoken out again today from CNN, and this is what Cardinal DiNardo said:

Families are the foundational element of our society and they must be able to stay together. While protecting our borders is important, we can and must do better as a government, and as a society, to find other ways to ensure that safety. Separating babies from their mothers is not the answer and is immoral.

We are here today to say: America, we need to take a stand. The President and his administration has decided to terrorize children in an effort to deter people from availing themselves of the opportunity provided for under immigration law. That is simply wrong.

America, now is the time to be heard.

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