Washington, D.C. (July 10, 2019)—Today, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, the Chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, announced two additional hearings on the Trump Administration’s separation of immigrant children on the southern border.

On Friday, July 12, the Committee will convene a hearing with the Inspectors General of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).  The Committee also will hear from Members of Congress who recently visited the border and witnessed conditions at immigration detention facilities, as well as advocates for separated children.

The Committee will examine troubling new revelations, including reports of unaccompanied children in overcrowded and filthy conditions at Clint, Texas, and other facilities; reports that current and former Border Patrol agents created a racist, sexist, and xenophobic Facebook group; and a report issued last week by the DHS Inspector General warning of “dangerous overcrowding” and “prolonged detention of children.”

On July 18, the Committee will hold a hearing with Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Kevin McAleenan.  Mr. McAleenan previously served as Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, where he helped implement the Trump Administration’s child separation policy.

“The American people are deeply concerned about the inhumane detention centers at the border and the number of children separated from their families,” Cummings said.  “We look forward to hearing about the steps necessary to correct this crisis manufactured by the Trump Administration.”

On February 26, 2019, the Committee approved its first subpoenas of the 116th Congress—on a bipartisan basis—requiring the Trump Administration to produce multiple categories of information about each separated child.

WHAT:          “The Trump Administration’s Child Separation Policy:  Substantiated Allegations of Mistreatment”

 

WHEN:           Friday, July 12, 2019, 10 a.m.

 

WHERE:         2154 Rayburn House Office Building

 

WHO:             PANEL I

                        Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-TX)

                        Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI)

                        Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA)

                        Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY)

            

                        PANEL II

                        Acting Inspector General Jennifer Costello, Department of Homeland Security

Assistant Inspector General Ann Maxwell, Department of Health and Human Services

Elora Mukherjee, Jerome L. Greene Clinical Professor of Law, Columbia Law School

Jennifer Nagda, Policy Director, Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights

 

A livestream of the hearing will be available here.

MEDIA

Due to limited seating, credentialed media must RSVP to their respective Press Gallery no later than 5 p.m. July 11, 2019.  

An RSVP does not guarantee a seat, but the Committee will do its best to accommodate as many organizations as possible.  Only one media representative per outlet will be allowed in the room.  Gallery contact information is below:

House Radio/TV Gallery:     radiotv@mail.house.gov                   202-225-5214

House Periodical Gallery:     periodical.press@mail.house.gov     202-225-2941

House Daily Press Gallery:   dailypressgallery@mail.house.gov   202-225-3945

Photographer Gallery:           Press_Photo@saa.senate.gov            202-224-6548