Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, my amendment would prohibit the Department of Homeland Security from entering into contracts with privatized immigration detention facilities for fiscal year 2018. A study done by the Homeland Security Advisory Council's Subcommittee on Privatized Immigration Detention Facilities found that privatized detention facilities experienced a multitude of issues, including deficiencies in staffing, subpar medical care, inefficient abuse reporting systems, and a lack of transparency. Further, an in-depth report on two of the country's private detention facilities show further injustices, such as inadequate access to legal information and services. It is best that DHS is prohibited from doing business with these facilities until these issues are resolved and it is shown that these facilities meet ICE's Performance-Based National Detention Standards. This amendment is necessary, as the government's reliance on privatized facilities will continue to grow, based on trends in detention. In fact, only 9.2 percent of detained individuals are in ICE-owned facilities. We must ensure that detained individuals are treated humanely and that they have access to due process. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.”