Liberty and Justice for All

Floor Speech

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Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. Speaker, last year, I stood outside Delaney Hall in Newark, New Jersey, and made the dire observation that no one is safe in Trump's America. Since then, three people that we know of have died after medical emergencies at Delaney Hall, including Edwin Lopez- Cornejo, who leaves behind his 12-year-old U.S. citizen daughter.

In private detention centers across the country, ICE and their private partners, like The GEO Group, are continuing down this dangerous path without any regard to the human cost of their actions.

In my over 20 visits to Delaney Hall, I have seen a man with a debilitating condition refused a wheelchair for weeks, and when finally given one, was forced to stay in medical isolation for months; a woman who suffered a miscarriage and was told she had a psychological pregnancy; requests for medication and post-op care that go unanswered. These are not mistakes or oversights. This is a deliberate choice by this administration to inflict pain and suffering because their cruelty knows no bounds.

This is happening across the country. Thirty-one people died in ICE detention last year, the most in more than 20 years. This year, 24 more people have lost their lives.

However, ICE isn't just killing people in detention. They are shooting American citizens like Renee Good and Alex Pretti in broad daylight. This should outrage every American.

Yet here, in this Chamber, what has been the response of our Republican colleagues? It has been silence.

While they carry their Bibles to church on Sunday, they carry the word of Donald Trump and Stephen Miller every other day of the week, and they are responsible for what is happening across our country.

Instead of finding their voice to speak out against this administration, they are trying to suppress and silence the voices of Americans, whether by limiting their ability to vote by mail or limiting the number of polling locations in Texas, because Republicans know they have failed. They have failed their constituents. They have failed their country, and they know Americans are angry, as I am angry.

We will end this national nightmare with or without them. We will protect our communities. We will hold accountable everyone who is responsible for the lawlessness, pain, and terror that this administration has inflicted on all of our communities, and we will remember everyone here who stayed silent in this moment.

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