Joaquin Castro: “I want to speak tonight about the very deep humanitarian situation at the U.S.-Mexico border. Immigration has been the…”

“I want to speak tonight about the very deep humanitarian situation at the U.S.-Mexico border. Immigration has been the lifeblood of our Nation for generations. The United States has been blessed that people from all over the world have come to our country fleeing oppression, dictators, violence, poverty, desperation, and seeking opportunity in our Nation that has been built up by those very same people to become the most prosperous and powerful Nation on the face of this Earth. But our immigration system is broken. Our enforcement system is broken. And tonight, we want to talk about what we have learned, after repeated visits to Department of Homeland Security facilities, operated by Customs and Border Protection, ICE, and also HHS facilities operated by the Office of Refugee Resettlement. I am going to be joined tonight by a few of my colleagues, Jimmy Gomez, who represents part of Los Angeles, Darren Soto, a Congressman from Florida, and perhaps other Members of Congress this evening. Before I turn it over to Darren, I want to speak for a second about what is known as the largest for-profit center that is operated to detain children. It is in a town called Homestead, Florida, and it is a massive operation. The operators of this facility, it is reported, make over $700 per child per day, and its size continues to grow.…”