On the recordJune 25, 2018
As we recover from the chaos emanating from the White House and the tweeter-in-chief last week, it is important to recognize children are not invaders. Children must not be used as political pawns for reckless immigration enforcement policy. I thank Justin Amash for being a lonely, but principled Republican voice, reminding your colleagues, even if Donald Trump doesn't recognize the Fifth Amendment, that under the Constitution, nobody is denied of life, liberty, or property without due process of law. There are over 300 other Republicans in the House and Senate, and I hope America hears from them. And Democrats should welcome a contest of ideas and a contest at the ballot box, not shouting at restaurants. It is important that we don't lose sight of the bigger picture. There is a reason that tens of thousands of people have come to the southern border: the chaos and violence in parts of Mexico, especially Central America, and the violence especially strong in the triangle of Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador. The United States is not an entirely innocent bystander there. We have supported repressive dictators in those countries in the 1980s, and we have been meddling in their affairs for generations. It is the lucrative American drug market that has fueled the drug trade and gang activity. Part of our failed drug policies have destabilized the lives of millions.…
