Supporting United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Floor Speech

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Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank the ICE agents for being present.

It is unfortunate that our Republican colleagues are not present doing the business that cries out to be done.

I am voting ``present'' on this resolution because it is a sham and a distraction. It is an outrageous attempt to hide the continued suffering of children behind a partisan attack on Democrats.

This is exactly the kind of gotcha vote that alienates Americans from our government. It is as shameless as it is inappropriate. It is inappropriate because Republicans are not doing a single thing to address the crisis of children still separated from their parents, even after a court ruled that they need to be reunited.

Democrats refuse to play the Republicans' game when it comes to children's well-being and the safety of those who come here seeking asylum. We are not falling for this trap, and you can say we are doing it as much as you want. Democrats support secure borders and honor the service of all whose lives are at risk in protecting our country and our people.

I take a back seat to no one in the House over the years in supporting our law enforcement personnel, but we will neither be silent nor will we cease fighting to bring an end to the dangerous and inhumane policies of the Trump administration that are traumatizing families and children at our borders, which Senator McCain correctly called ``an affront to the decency of the American people.''

Shame on the Republican House majority for putting such blatant partisanship ahead of the children. Shame on you for using our law enforcement agents as pawns in your political games.

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