Nick Lampson: “I have taken to this floor every day now this year to come here to remind the American citizens of Ludwig Koons, who was…”

“I have taken to this floor every day now this year to come here to remind the American citizens of Ludwig Koons, who was abducted from the United States of America in 1994. He is now, I think, 9 years old, and he is still a citizen of the United States who is illegally out of our country. I placed a phone call to our Secretary of State. A staff person called me back. I placed a phone call to the Ambassador to the United States from the Vatican. They have not even bothered to return my phone call. I have placed a phone call, many phone calls, I might add, to all of these people, including the Ambassador of Italy to the United States. I have talked with him, yet nothing yet seems to be moving. The issue is not about Ludwig Koons, it is about the 1,000 children who are taken out of our borders each year illegally. They are all citizens of this country and pledge allegiance to our flag. Where is our government? Why are we not turning to those children and doing anything, anything, necessary to return them to our land? Bring our children home.”