On the recordJune 13, 2018
The Trump administration and its attacks on families seeking asylum are in full force. The Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, just announced this week that victims of domestic violence and gang violence will no longer qualify for asylum here in the United States. Victims of domestic violence and victims of gang violence will no longer be eligible for asylum, refuge, here in the United States. This isn't about going after the perpetrators. What the Attorney General is doing is targeting the victims--not the perpetrators, but the victims--of domestic violence and of gang violence. Meanwhile, the administration continues to engage in the sickening policy of taking children, babies, away from their mothers and their fathers, just like this woman from Guatemala. Mr. Speaker, this is an ugly hour for our Nation, uglier than we have seen in a very, very long time. As a father myself, my heart aches when I hear the stories of toddlers screaming for their parents who are sitting in a cell within earshot. If that isn't psychological torture, I don't know what is. The stories my colleagues have recounted from the visits to detention centers are simply gut-wrenching. Any one of my Republican colleagues who supports these abominable policies should be ashamed. Put yourself in the shoes of these people. They have just ventured hundreds, if not thousands, of miles to save their lives and to save the lives of their children.…
