Delgado Statement Following Bipartisan Trip to Facilities at the Southern Border
Press Release
Yesterday, Representative Antonio Delgado (NY-19) traveled to McAllen, Texas along with Members of Congress on a bipartisan Congressional Delegation trip to facilities at the Southern Border. During the trip, Rep. Delgado and Members of Congress visited Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facilities around McAllen, Texas, including a Border Patrol station, processing center, holding facility, and a port of entry. The delegation also visited a Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) shelter and met with local immigration stake holders working on the ground at the border.
"Yesterday's trip to facilities at the border was extremely informative and impactful. I saw children, adults, and families who have come to the United States in search of a better life, and a system overloaded and underprepared for the gravity and complexity of this immigration crisis. We must act to better enable our system to process asylum seekers and migrants in a humane way that preserves their dignity as they flee horrible circumstances in their home countries."
Delgado continued, "These are human beings suffering in the care of the U.S. government, and we cannot allow the politicization of the border to obscure the need for coherent and comprehensive immigration policy. What is critical now is to work together to get resources to these facilities, ensure basic needs are being met and adequate care is provided, while ensuring critical oversight so that resources are used appropriately. As Congress continues to address the urgent situation at our border, we must use facts, not dehumanizing rhetoric, to respond to the reality at hand."
Rep. Delgado traveled to the border along with members of the House Homeland Security Committee. The trip was led by Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-NY), Chairwoman of the Border Security, Facilitation, and Operations Subcommittee, and included Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA), Ranking Member of the Border Security, Facilitation, and Operations Subcommittee, Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL), Rep. Xochitl Torres Small (D-NM), Rep. Max Rose (D-NY), Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Rep. Nanette Barragán (D-CA), and Rep. Mark Walker (R-NC).
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