Reacts to Republican Supplemental Appropriations Plan
Congresswoman Judy Chu (D-CA) has joined with Members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) to hear first-hand testimony from unaccompanied minors and expert witnesses on the need to prioritize the best interests of the children at an Ad Hoc hearing titled “Kids First: Examining the Southern Border Humanitarian Crisis.” The hearing occurred on the heels of House Republicans unveiling their plan to address the current crisis.
As a Vice-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Congresswoman Chu released the following statement:
“We must see the border crisis for what it is, a humanitarian crisis. At the heart of the problem are children fleeing violence at home and taking great risks to come – by themselves – to the U.S. for safety. Before insisting they be sent back home, it is important for Congress to hear directly from these children so that we base our policy decisions on real facts. These children spoke of unimaginable violence and tragedy that drove them to seek refuge in the U.S. But, even more troubling, they testified about deplorable conditions in CBP facilities.
“House Republicans must stop playing political games with children’s lives. With DHS and HHS set to run out of money this fall, we must pass a clean supplemental with sufficient funds. Nor can the answer be a legislative fix that guts existing protections and sends children back to deadly violence.
“This is why I’m disappointed with the House Republicans’ supplemental funding bill, which puts more money towards border security and only a token amount towards addressing the root causes. Worse, it would expedite deportation of vulnerable children while giving no money to provide them with legal counsel. We need a supplemental that puts the interests of children first and preserves the due process protections our laws affords.”
Background:
Since 2011, the number of unaccompanied minors attempting to cross the Southwest border has drastically increased. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) predicts that an estimated 90,000 unaccompanied children will attempt to enter the country by the end of this year. Many of the children attempting to cross into the U.S. are fleeing extremely violent environments in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras – collectively known as the Northern Triangle of Central America. Drug cartel and gang-related activity are the main cause for most of the violence occurring in the region. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, as many as 58 percent of the minors could qualify for international protection.
The Congressional Progressive Caucus has offered a comprehensive set of policy recommendations to help guide the Obama Administration and Congress’ response to the surge of unaccompanied minors arriving at the southern border of the United States.
