Veronica Escobar: “On May 31, the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General published an alarming report that confirms…”

“On May 31, the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General published an alarming report that confirms the terrible consequences of the Trump administration's failure to truly address the humanitarian challenges we face at our southern border. Instead of working with Congress and leaders in our hemisphere on addressing root causes and policy that represents America's values of compassion, the administration, instead, chooses cruelty. As a result, agents and officers are overworked, exhausted, and frustrated. Communities like mine are stretched beyond capacity, and migrants are in inhumane conditions. The photos and description of the conditions at the Paso Del Norte Processing Center in my district are beyond disturbing: Migrants standing on toilets to make room and gain breathing space; A cell with a maximum capacity of 35 holding 155 migrants; Detainees wearing soiled clothing for days or weeks; The list goes on. I visited the PDN Processing Center when I was home this weekend, and one thing is clear: Congress must establish, and DHS must abide by, humanitarian standards. Not doing so is immoral and un-American. ____________________”