Veronica Escobar: “Today I ask that we observe a moment of silence for the migrants who have died as they have tried to reach the shores of…”

“Today I ask that we observe a moment of silence for the migrants who have died as they have tried to reach the shores of the America that they dream of. The photograph that all of us saw this week should tear all of us up, for those of us who are parents, to see a toddler with her little arms wrapped around the neck of her father. There is nothing that we wouldn't do for our children, nothing, to give them a better life. Oscar and Valeria represent tens of thousands of migrants who have died as they have tried to build a better life for themselves, only to find that they are demonized and locked out of the promise that those of us who are natural born citizens are so fortunate to enjoy. In their name, let us never forget their sacrifice and the sacrifice that so many parents make for the most vulnerable among us. ____________________”