Speech #1130112995

Indeed. it appears unlikely that our Homeland Security Appropriations bill will make it to the House floor. The approach taken in this legislation shows a fundamental misunderstanding of the issue before us. This isnt a border security crisis. This is a humanitarian crisis. We dont need to deploy the National Guard or surge our border capacity. because we are not failing to catch individuals as they cross. In fact. these young people are turning themselves in! Now. we do have some agreement on the need to expedite the consideration of the claims of these minors for asylum or other forms of relief. But at $12.9 million. the House bill falls far short of even the administrations modest request for more immigration judges. Instead of focusing on this area of agreement. the majority relies upon a questionable and controversial rewriting of the Wilberforce law. enacted in 2008 to deal with child trafficking. My own view is that the CuellarCornyn proposal incorporated in the bill both fails to address deficiencies in our present screening of Mexican youths for signs of torture or fear of persecution. and risks transferring these deficiencies to the treatment of Central American children.