MSNBC "All in with Chris Hayes" - Transcript: Immigration

Interview

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HAYES: The Trump administration has ripped hundreds of children from their parents at the border, in some cases, it appears not even telling the families what`s happening.

As Boston Globe reporter Liz Goodwin reported, quote, "Eman Bendiks (ph), who is a public defender, said several of her clients have told her their children were taken from them by border control agents who said they were going to give them a bath. As hours passed it dawned on the mothers, the kids were not coming back."
Democratic Congressman Pramila Jayapal of Washington just met with some of the immigrant mothers who were recently sent to a federal prison in her state. Congresswoman, what was it like inside that facility? What did you hear?

REP. PRAMILA JAYAPAL, (D) WASHINGTON: Chris, it was heartbreaking. I met with 174 women in three different groups, what they called three pods, in a federal prison. Shockingly, it`s a prison after all. They told me it was the best treatment that they`ve received in all their time being detained, which tells you something about how they were treated in ICE and border patrol custody.

These are women the vast majority of whom are seeking asylum, trying to escape rape and violence and murder. One woman from El Salvador had had her eldest son shot. Her second son had been -- her eldest son was shot and killed, her second son was shot and paralyzed, and she took her final child to try to bring him to the United States for safety. Story after story like this, Chris.

And these women were forcibly separated from their children at the border.

You mentioned being told that they were being taken for a bath, similar kinds of stories where a woman was taken out to get her photograph taken, taken to these mass prosecutions in these criminal courts that they`ve set up where they`re prosecuting 75 to 100 women at a time, and then came back and found that there was no child there anymore. Not a one of them had been able to say good-bye to their children. And none of them knew where their children were, none of them had spoken to their children. They had literally been in detention probably 40 percent to 50 percent of them for more than a month in our or five facilities.

These were all individuals who were transferred mostly from the Texas border. They hailed from 16 different countries. They were sitting in a room next to the room where their child was being held in some cases, and they could hear the children screaming for their parents. It was absolutely heartbreaking. And their treatment in the ICE and border patrol facilities was just outrageous. I have worked on immigration issues for 20 years, and this is about as bad as I`ve seen it.

In many cases they were not given water to drink for five days. They had a sink in their cell, and that water was dirty, chlorinated water and that`s the only thing they had to drink. One woman said that she was hit twice by border patrol right here just below her eye on her cheekbone. Many of them talked about these facilities that they have nicknames for -- one nickname is the Icebox, because the temperatures are so cold that they liken it to a freezer.

Some of these women had crossed the Rio Grande, come out of the river wet to turn themselves in, and were immediately put into these freezing facilities, no blankets, no mats.

Another facility they call the Dog Pound because it is filled with cages like kennels, which is where they were held.

And Chris, I just have to tell you, it was heartbreaking. Every time they talked about their children they wept. They are strong, courageous womenescaping rape, gang violence, murder, political persecution, coming to the United States. They want to do this legally. They have not yet had what iscalled a credible fear hearing, which is what determines whether or not you get asylum.

HAYES: I just want to be clear on that, because this is a technical point, but no one -- have they had anyone do a first pass with them on credible fear?

JAYAPAL: No. They had not had any credible fear hearings. And most of them had not seen an attorney. And in fact, you know, I have to say I was very surprised that I was allowed in. The warden was great to me. The prison staff were really good to me, much better actually than sometimes my dealings with ICE.

But, you know, I was able to ask them if they wanted an attorney. And we took down over 100 names of women who wanted to see an attorney in order to then give it to our partners, the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, so that they could connect with them and at least get some legal resources.

Some of the women had been given these little slips of paper, white slips of paper, that had their name and then their kids` names. And one woman said to me, these are not my children, the names that were listed on the paper were not even her children.

HAYES: Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, thank you so much for reporting that out for us. I appreciate it.

JAYAPAL: Thank you, Chris.

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