Adriano Espaillat actually said...

"I think that we have turned our heads and our backs on that region for far too long, and they are really our backyard, and we should have an ongoing positive working relationship."

"We have abdicated our leadership role in that region and created a vacuum of leadership, and for that reason we have seen now recently how countries even like China have stepped in to plug that leader..."

"And just keep in mind that as we begin to pay more attention to the border and Central and South America, drug dealers will shift their strategy to other borders."

"I recognize that that is tragic and that a lot of the funding that is going to help the Venezuelan people is being stopped at some of their border points."