The Honorable Donna F. Edwards
Flawed Supplemental for Unaccompanied Minor Children at the Border
August 1, 2014
Mr. Speaker, it is a sad day for the United States when Republicans in this Congress see a problem and then choose not to work with Democrats to solve the problem. That is exactly what has happened here today: their draconian way or the highway.
Let’s be clear about what the problem is: unaccompanied minor children, frightened, some fleeing violence, needing due process, and deserving due process.
This is as much about who these children are as it is about who we are. As a mother and a legislator, I know that we should be compelled to act as a matter of humanity, but also as a matter of law.
We know we have problems on the border that are in need of solutions. Republicans have rejected one solution – comprehensive immigration reform – to address the problem. They have rejected another solution – the request of the President for a supplemental appropriation that includes resources for judges, representation and services for minor children, and assistance to the countries of origin.
Now today, in the eleventh hour, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle demonstrate once again their lack of humanity and failure to solve yet another problem for the American people.
