Jose Luis Correa: “I am grateful for the opportunity to address this body, once again, on the urgency of reuniting migrant children with…”

“I am grateful for the opportunity to address this body, once again, on the urgency of reuniting migrant children with their families. The administration's zero-tolerance policy has caused chaos and systematically torn immigrant children away from their parents. Many innocent children are still being held under inhumane conditions at detention facilities apart from their parents. In total, almost 5,000 children--let me repeat--almost 5,000 children who have been separated from their parents because of this zero-tolerance policy are still suffering. Last month, U.S. District Judge Sabraw ruled that children under the age of 5 must be reunited with their parents within 14 days. That deadline was yesterday. It came and passed, and only about half the children were actually reunited. Mr. Speaker, this is unacceptable. There needs to be consequences for the administration's disregard for the law and failure to comply with the Federal Court order. The United Nations has noted that children who arrive at the U.S. border who plead for asylum with their parents is a legal form of entry according to international law. Many of these children are fleeing from countries plagued with gang violence and drug wars. The administration continues to highlight the threat of the MS-13. Yet the administration does not acknowledge that actually MS-13 is one of the reasons why children and families are seeking protection in our country. Asylum seekers are not illegal immigrants.…”