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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                              PRESS CONTACT:

June 26, 2014                                                     Jose Borjon     956.459.2415

                                                                          This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Congressmen Filemon Vela, Rubén Hinojosa and Steven Horsford to Visit Unaccompanied Minors in South Texas Detention Center Saturday

Will receive briefing from Customs and Border Protection regarding unaccompanied minors entering through Southern Border

 

WHO:            Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi

U.S. Representative Filemon Vela, member, House Homeland Security Committee

U.S. Representative Rubén E. Hinojosa, Chairman, Congressional Hispanic Caucus

U.S. Representative Steven Horsford, member, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee

 

WHAT:          Will receive briefing from Customs and Border Protection regarding immigration surge and visit unaccompanied minors in South Texas Detention Facility. Following briefing, they will hold a press conference to speak to media about unaccompanied minors entering through Southern Border of country.

 

WHEN:          10:00 a.m. CT, Saturday, June 28, 2014        

 

NOTE:           Press and camera crews must RSVP to Jose Borjon at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or (956) 459-2415 to receive media credentials and information regarding location. 

 

“The humanitarian crisis unfolding across our nation’s southern border demands Congress come together and find thoughtful, compassionate and bipartisan solutions,” Leader Pelosi said.  “We must ensure our laws are fully enforced, so that due process is provided to unaccompanied children and the safety and well-being of unaccompanied children is protected.  We must also work to address the root causes of the problem.”

 

“In my view, we have several crises that we must confront if we want to effectively address the issue of migration of thousands of unaccompanied minors from Central America entering the U.S. through the Southern Border,” U.S. Rep. Vela said. “Recent data shows about 85 percent of unaccompanied minors apprehended by Border Patrol on the Southern Border are coming to reunite with parents and family members already living in the United States. These unaccompanied minors are coming to the U.S. looking for their parents who are working at hotels, restaurants, farms, and construction sites across the country. So, first and foremost, this recent influx is directly tied to our country’s immigration reform crisis. Secondly, we have an urgent logistical crisis with respect to the detention and legal process currently in place to address removal issues. Finally, this is a foreign policy crisis. Violence and socioeconomic issues in Central America are causing these children to leave.”

 

"Since we received word of the influx of apprehensions along our border, the overcrowded conditions and the reports of diseases among the detainees, I asked for an immediate investigation by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and they responded right away," said U.S. Rep. Hinojosa. "I along with my staff have received constant updates on the actions taken by DHS, ICE, the Department of Health and Human Services, FEMA and the U.S. Coast Guard. These agencies teamed up to stem the overcrowding and to bring more medical assistance to the Border Patrol Facilities in the McAllen sector. Just last week, I held a meeting with the ambassadors and staff of Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Mexico to determine what is causing the exodus of undocumented immigrants into our country. With the information we received, we were able to inform the White House and DHS on some of the causes. I believe this information is vital to curbing the serious situation at hand," U.S. Rep. Hinojosa said.

 

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