Tom Udall: “thank you for the recognition. I rise on the Senate floor as a Senator from a border State--a State that borders with…”

“thank you for the recognition. I rise on the Senate floor as a Senator from a border State--a State that borders with the country of Mexico--with a message from my State's proud border communities: We will not stand by as the President threatens to shut down the government in an act of political extortion, as the President tries to force the American people to pay for his border wall--a wall that would run right through New Mexico and through so many of the communities and ecosystems that define our State. I am joining with New Mexicans all along the border and all across our State who are calling on the President to stop playing politics with our border communities, with the Federal budget, and with taxpayer dollars. New Mexico and other border States have the most at stake in this fight, and we will be heard. Last week, we learned of a terrible tragedy along the border. On December 7, a 7-year-old girl from Guatemala, Jakelin Caal Maquin, died from septic shock, fever, and dehydration while in Customs and Border Protection custody. The sadness of the loss of this little girl coming to our country with her father in search of safety cannot be overstated. It is truly heartbreaking. I have called upon Secretary Nielsen, Customs and Border Protection Commissioner McAleenan, and the Office of Inspector General to immediately and thoroughly investigate the circumstances of Jakelin's death.…”