Political Quotes

“Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Brave survivors have begun to come forward detailing chilling assaults by Border Protection agents. Some of the survivors are only in their teens. Despite these heartbreaking stories, there is a stunning lack of transparency about sexual abuse at Customs and Border Protection facilities. According to the agency's most recent report on assessing sexual abuse at holding facilities, in fiscal year 2017, CBP processed more than 534,000 individuals in its holding facilities, and yet the agency itself only received seven claims of sexual abuse. Ten months after FY18, CBP has yet to release its report on abuse last year. From my own experience working on sexual violence prevention on college campuses and in the military, I have learned that the absence of formal complaints of sexual abuse does not reflect the absence of sexual violence but, rather, signals a culture that prevents people from reporting violence. According to a Freedom of Information Act request, between January of 2010 and July of 2016, the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General received 624 complaints about sexual abuse at Customs and Border Protection facilities. Considering this information, CBP's failure to promptly publish its own sexual abuse data, and the stories of survivors who have come forward, there is a clear need to improve transparency about sexual abuse at CBP.…”