Political Quotes

“I thank Congresswoman Leger Fernandez for convening this Special Order hour to discuss the urgent topic of immigration reform. Last week, I had the opportunity and privilege of visiting the U.S.- Mexico border to bear witness to the carceral system that undergirds our immigration policy and practices. I gained a firsthand understanding of how our Federal policies impact the conditions at the border. While there, I visited a Catholic Charities shelter that centered its work around caring for newly arrived asylum seekers. This shelter operates on a shoestring budget and relies on FEMA to retroactively reimburse spending for essentials like food, a funding process that is never certain. And most of the workers there were volunteers from across the country. While their facilities lacked resources, it was abundant with care. I then saw inside a well-funded Customs and Border Protection, or CBP, facility, where law enforcement had put over 10 men, who had not been tested for COVID, together in one small cell, sleeping on the concrete floor, even when other cells were sitting empty. {time} 1915 For context, the current year, the funding level for CBP is more than $15 billion. In New York's 16th Congressional District which I represent, one- third of my constituents are born outside of the United States.…”