Yvette Clarke: “I thank the gentlewoman from New York for her sentiments as well. And as she has stated--I didn't state this in the…”

“I thank the gentlewoman from New York for her sentiments as well. And as she has stated--I didn't state this in the beginning of my remarks--I happen to be a second generation American myself. My parents came from the beautiful island nation of Jamaica in the Caribbean as foreign students in the 1950s. They came to this Nation where they knew that their talent and their work ethic would enable them to reach their God-given potential, but could never have dreamt that they would live this long--they lived more time here in the United States than they ever did in the Caribbean--as naturalized Americans to see this type of behavior take place in our country on the auspices of our government. I look at my octogenarian parents, and I say to them, this is not who we are as a nation. And that we stand with all the people of goodwill in this Nation who see this behavior from the Trump administration as totally abhorrent. That we will not stand by idly and see this continue. We will be part of the resistance to make sure that these families' human dignity are restored, and that these children, where possible, can be returned to their families, at whatever cost it may be. It may mean that we will have to do DNA testing, or it may mean that we will have to hire private investigators. Whatever the cost, it is up to us to make these families whole. {time} 2030 They only came to this Nation seeking refuge, and what we gave them was heartache, was pain.…”