Gabe Vasquez: “(English translation of the statement made in Spanish by Mr. Vasquez is as follows:) Today, I rise to tell you about my…”

“(English translation of the statement made in Spanish by Mr. Vasquez is as follows:) Today, I rise to tell you about my visit to the Cibola County Correctional Facility, and to demand changes to mistreatment within immigration detention centers. Many of these centers, like Cibola, are operated by private companies. And what we have seen is that the conditions inside these facilities are unacceptable, lacking humanity and access to the civil rights that these immigrants deserve. The detainees, whose only crime is entering this country without papers, informed me in person of these deplorable conditions, including food that is not even fair for the dogs. They do not have access to the legal system. They are locked in solitary cells for asking for help. They can't even wash their sheets. They leave them locked up for almost a year, while they wait to go before a judge. The mistreatment of those seeking refuge is something we should never accept in our Nation. It doesn't matter if they are from Ukraine, Afghanistan or Venezuela. My bill, the Humanitarian Accountability Act, is a critical step in ensuring the humane treatment of immigrants. The intention of my legislation is to bring to light the treatment of immigrants in detention centers. We must face reality--there is an opportunity to ensure that we can treat everyone with dignity and humanity.…”