"I think it is fair to say that USCIS doesn't usually get the kind of attention that the rest of the components of DHS do, but its mission is very important."
"But here is an important data point: When the child has a lawyer, 92.5 percent of those children appeared in court."
"We may apprehend as many as 90,000 kids during the current fiscal year, and they have overwhelmed our resources to cope with them."
"The journey to the United States is extremely dangerous, and along the way these children could be raped, they could be killed, maimed, become victims of trafficking, extorted."
"this isn't a policy, it is the law, and has been the law since 1997 when we had the Flores case settled."
"This is a regional catastrophe, and the United States is not the only country experiencing an increase in the number of young people fleeing from these countries seeking protection."
"The sources of these children coming to the United States are El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras."
"I think that your openness is really a breath of fresh air here for the Committee."
"I wanted to just briefly touch on the unaccompanied alien minors."
"They are doing what former Governor Bush described as an act of love."
"I'm concerned that as we take a look at how we are applying our enforcement standards, that we take a look at the nature of the offenses that are at issue."