Kay Granger: “Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you for the hard work you have put into this difficult situation. Mr. Speaker, we are…”

“Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you for the hard work you have put into this difficult situation. Mr. Speaker, we are here tonight because this Congress has a responsibility to immediately stop the humanitarian crisis on our southern border. The President has failed to lead. The Senate failed to lead. This Chamber has to lead. Since October, 58,000 unaccompanied minors have made the treacherous 1,000-mile journey from Central America, across Mexico, and through our southern border. Tens of thousands more unaccompanied minors are expected to come if we don't act. Doing nothing is not an option. I repeat, doing nothing is not an option. The members of the working group I chaired made recommendations for an immediate short-term response. I want to recognize the hard work and commitment of the working group members who made targeted policy recommendations on how to end this crisis. Our conclusions included in the bill are to tweak the 2008 Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act to make sure that all unaccompanied minors are treated the same as Mexicans, prioritize last in-first out, expedite the hearing process within 7 days after the children are detained, and hire additional temporary judges to support the accelerated process. To fully support Customs and Border Protection's mission, we include a provision to allow Border Patrol unfettered access to Federal lands. Finally, Mr.…”