MSNBC "All In with Chris Hayes" - Transcript: "Joy Reid's new book on Trump."

Interview

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HAYES: All right, Julie Ainsley, thanks for that great reporting. Democratic Congressman Raul Ruiz of California has introduced a bill that would set out basic standards from CBP to meet the humanitarian needs of those in its custody. He`s here with me now. Describe your legislation and how it differs from the legislation that it appears the leadership is backing that`s going to get a vote in about half an hour.

REP. RAUL RUIZ (D-CA): Thank you, Chris. First of all, I`m a board-certified emergency physician. I am a public health expert trained in medical pre-hospital command as well as humanitarian aid from Harvard and the ICRC in Geneva, and this appropriation bill will not meet the humanitarian needs of children and families. This bill is a desperate measure for a desperate situation to fund items into a dysfunctional system with an administration that doesn`t believe that children are worthy of toothbrushes, blankets, or soap for personal hygiene. My bill the humanitarian standards for individuals in CBP custody will change behavior and that it will change the protocol and the way the individuals under their custody and responsibility are treated in situations with health care. For example, high-risk individuals, children, pregnant women, elderly will get a health exam consisting of an interview, vital signs, physical examination, assessment and plan with medical consultation within three hours. In terms of shelter, it would ensure that individuals get two meters squared of space, that they will have lights off at ten, allow them to sleep, keep the temperatures in a humane setting. In terms of water, they`ll get one gallon per adults. In terms of food, they will get 2,000 calories per adult an age base and weight based appropriate food and calories for children, pregnant women, and the elderly, so it`s very different and -- yes, go ahead, Chris.

HAYES: So what I`m hearing from you is that your legislation will lay out minimum basic standards of humane treatment, medical examination, care or feeding and the like for the population detained by CBP, and that that is totally absent now and essentially only governed by the Flores Settlement and which seems to be honored in the breach as much as we`ve seen?

RUIZ: Correct. In this, the changes that have been made to appease some members and to make an attempt to move as towards more towards my legislation is to allow CBP to come up with those standards.

HAYES: I see.

RUIZ: Allowing CBP to come up with those standards is like asking the fox to guard the chicken coop. And they already have standards and those are the standards that allowed six children to die under their responsibility.

HAYES: So -- I see. So the current legislation -- again, the leadership -- the House Democratic leadership is backing, it`s going to be voted on and maybe 15 minutes, it requires standards but delegates the CBP to come up with it. Your legislation would specify the bare minimum standards.

RUIZ: Yes, correct.

HAYES: Does that mean -- does that mean that you`re a no on this -- on this bill that`s going to come up?

RUIZ: No, Chris because we`re between a rock and a hard place here. This is a desperate situation and a desperate measure and we need to stop the bleeding. If CBP is saying, listen, we don`t have any food to give to children or blankets, you know, we got to at least fun food and blankets. But this is an administration that has been serving frozen burritos to children. You know, this is an administration that if we fund for example the trains or soap, they don`t believe that children are worthy of using soap or bathing once a day which my bill would allow them to do.

HAYES: All right, so it sounds like though that you are a yes on this which suggests to me that the dissenters in the caucus who are significant-- I talked to Pramila Jayapal and others that this is -- that`s going to pass then, and then the President is going to veto it anyway, right?

RUIZ: You know, I -- you know, you never know what the president says. He changes his mind all the time. But that`s what he`s -- that`s what he`s saying right now. But you know, we cannot be fooled that this bill is going to solve the problem or meet the humanitarian needs of the children and families. We got to continue to push hard to get the humanitarian standards for individuals, the CBP Custody Act into law.

HAYES: CBP Custody Act. Congressman Raul Ruiz, thank you so much for your time.

RUIZ: Thank you.

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