Joaquin Castro

This move to not allow one of our colleagues in the U.S. Congress who's been elected by the people she represents to sit and participate on a panel like this is, I think, unprecedented.

It is important that I am here today in this first hearing because it is a topic that means so much to me: democracy, democracy and the preservation of it.

I am circulating to the other members the Belarus Democracy Act and Human Rights and Sovereignty Act of 2023, which we hope to move as quickly as we can.

Lukashenko, I believe, is guilty of war crimes, and he needs to be held to account by the ICC and any other court that will take this up.

She has earned this position by showing enormous courage and principle, and many of us and I believe it, beyond any reasonable doubt, she won the election.

The Biden Administration needs to fix this immediately.

Most egregiously, Lukashenko has made Belarus an active participant in crimes against abducted Ukrainian children.

You are an inspiration, obviously, for the people of Belarus and then, hey, ultimately, an inspiration for the people of Russia itself that they, too, under the repression of war criminal Putin, 1 day there will be a free and democratic…

The U.S. must continue to support the democratic development of Belarus.

Alexander Lukashenko is an illegitimate dictator. The fraudulent 2020 Belarusian Presidential election made a mockery of democracy.

I hope to build on that support in this Congress.

The fulfillment of these aspirations is critical to ensuring the continued strength of Belarusian sovereignty and territorial integrity.

I especially want to recognize that women have played a leading role in Belarusian, the democratic movement that has grown.

Talent is distributed across every American community. I think we would all agree on that, but equal opportunity is not.

Together with Senator Cory Booker, I also introduced the Advanced Coursework Equity Act, which would increase the enrollment and performance of under-represented students in advanced courses.

Congress must take greater steps to ensure the historically underserved students have the resources they need to succeed in college.

It is imperative that we address the gaps of educational success in college degree attainment.

I introduced a bill called the Building Civic Bridges Act.

What you did is unimaginable, inhumane, and despicable and, quite frankly, I'm surprised the chairman invited you to be here today.

You oversaw the design and implementation of the monstrous and cruel family separation policy tearing children away from their families

They deserve better than what they are getting now and our witnesses clearly have made it so clear that there needs to be change.

I fully support this resolution which stresses the importance of the 1944 water treaty to the livelihoods of so many in south Texas.

I call on Hamas to immediately release these hostages.

President Biden has been clear that sanctions on Venezuela's captors will only be lifted if the regime allows free elections, releases prisoners, and respects human rights.

I urge the Chairman and Ranking Member to report this bill to the House floor. I'm confident it will receive bipartisan support.