Homeland Security Improvement Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. ESCOBAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2203, the Homeland Security Improvement Act.

I would first like to thank Speaker Pelosi and Chairman Thompson for their steadfast leadership and for helping get this bill to the floor. Mr. Speaker, this moment never would have been possible without Mr. Thompson's perseverance and hard work.

H.R. 2203 started at our southern border as a community-driven effort to boost accountability and transparency within DHS. To that end, I would like to especially thank the Border Network for Human Rights, an El Paso-based organization that works tirelessly to ensure migrants and border communities are treated with the dignity and respect that we all deserve.

Those of us who live within the 100-mile border enforcement zone have often had our civil rights impeded because some basic constitutional principles don't fully apply to us.

Since the creation of DHS in 2003, our government has spent over $300 billion, including two supplemental bills passed this year, on the agencies that carry out immigration enforcement, largely within that 100-mile zone. This enormous taxpayer investment has created a situation where the American taxpayer spends more money on immigration enforcement than on all other Federal law enforcement agencies combined.

Unfortunately, especially for those of us who live within that 100- mile enforcement zone, this spending has not included corresponding oversight or accountability measures. This bill seeks to change that with the creation of an ombudsman for border and immigration-related concerns.

The ombudsman, in conjunction with the inspector general at DHS, will be charged with establishing an independent, neutral, and confidential process to assist individuals, including personnel, with complaints against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The ombudsman is also responsible for reviewing CBP and ICE compliance with all departmental policies and standards related to the treatment of migrants in custody.

This function was a priority for me after learning about child deaths in Federal custody; after having witnessed severe overcrowding in Border Patrol facilities; after hearing in my community, in El Paso, Texas, concerns from agents over and over again about leadership not listening to them and about policies they were forced to enforce; and after interviewing ICE detainees in my hometown who were subjected to force-feeding, an inhumane practice that is tantamount to torture.

I have heard countless times from my constituents and other border residents that they need to have a voice in crafting border policies because we are the ones most impacted. H.R. 2203 will allow them this opportunity through the establishment of both a border community liaison and a border oversight panel. Both seek to foster communication and cooperation between DHS and the community by giving border residents an opportunity to provide feedback and recommendations regarding border policies.

This panel will also help improve conditions for agents and officers. For example, one responsibility of the border oversight panel is to evaluate policies to enhance their safety.

The bill also requires the ombudsman to conduct annual evaluations of all training provided and will examine whether key areas are covered, including community policing, which builds trust; enforcement near sensitive locations; interacting with vulnerable populations; and professional and ethical conduct, such as lawful use of force, LGBTQ sensitivity, and sexual harassment.

El Paso has been at the epicenter of much of the humanitarian chaos our Nation has seen, like being the testing ground for the cruel family separation policy that continues to this day. To help speed up reunifications of these families, H.R. 2203 requires the ombudsman, in conjunction with the CBP Commissioner, ICE Director, and the Office of Refugee Resettlement, to develop recommendations for the establishment of an electronic tracking number system on a single, interoperable interface.

Finally, the ombudsman is responsible for developing a plan for outlining the use of body-worn cameras by Border Patrol agents and ICE officers when engaged in border security and immigration enforcement activities, something local police forces have embraced.

The plan must be crafted in conjunction with the CBP Commissioner, the ICE Director, and relevant labor organizations that represent these officers and agents. It must also consider existing State and local body-worn camera policies.

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Ms. ESCOBAR. Mr. Speaker, it must also consider existing State and local body-worn camera policies and principles developed by major civil and human rights organizations, so that DHS can build upon best practices for each community.

This plan further ensures that safety needs are met, and trust is built.

All of these features will be invaluable tools to make sure that we address our Nation's immigration challenges in a common sense and humane way.

Today, we have the opportunity to come together and begin to make a powerful and well-funded Federal agency more accountable to the Congress and to the people that they serve. The ombudsman's role will fill much needed gaps in transparency, oversight, training, and trust.

Mr. Speaker, I am very proud of this legislation. It comes right from the communities that are impacted the most. I urge my colleagues to support it.

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