Donald M. Payne: “I thank Mr. Garamendi, once again, for stepping out and giving Members such as myself the opportunity to express our…”

“I thank Mr. Garamendi, once again, for stepping out and giving Members such as myself the opportunity to express our outrage at what is going on in this great Nation of ours. The gentleman has given me several opportunities to speak on issues pertaining to this country that are at the core of decisions and issues that we need to address, and his passion tonight is warranted. Let me say, never in my life did I think that I would be on the floor of the United States House of Representatives calling for the President of the United States to stop tearing children away from their parents. Yet here I am. Perhaps it is fitting that today is Juneteenth, a holiday to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States. Juneteenth is also a stark reminder that our country has a dark history of ripping children away from their parents. African Americans know all too well that laws and policies can be twisted to evil ends. We know all too well the pain of having our children torn away from us and our families separated. It was a common event during slavery. We know all too well that state-sponsored psychological terror can have lasting effects on generations. What is going on at our south border is evil. It is a deplorable policy by deplorable people, and it has to stop. The president of the American Academy of Pediatrics has explained that the practice of ripping children away from their parents at the border is child abuse.…”