Speaker, I rise today out of deep concern about the
safety and security of the community that I represent and of this
country. El Paso, Texas, the city that I am so fortunate to serve and
represent in Congress, happens to be the safest city not just in the
State of Texas, but in the entire United States. There are a number of
reasons for that: We have outstanding local law enforcement, whether it
is the Sheriff's Department or El Paso City Police, State DPS troopers
or Federal law enforcement, Border Patrol agents, Customs and Border
Protection officers, and the agents of Immigration and Customs
Enforcement. A big part of the explanation for our safety is the fact that 24
percent of the people that I represent were born in another country. They have come to this country to do better, to get ahead, and to
contribute to our success and to the American Dream. It is also because
everyone in the community of El Paso feels comfortable and safe in
reporting crime, in testifying and coming forward--especially in cases
of domestic abuse--to local authorities. That is why I am so concerned after I received a call last night from
the El Paso County judge, Veronica Escobar, to share with me an
incident that happened last week in the El Paso County Courthouse,
where a woman, undocumented Mexican national, had gone to the Center
Against Sexual and Family Violence out of fear for her life after being
abused, she alleged, by her boyfriend. The Center Against Sexual and Family Violence escorted her to the El
Paso County Courthouse to receive a protection order. The judge granted
that order. But in that courtroom where the judge granted the order
were, according to the county attorney, the county judge, and the judge
who presided over that trial, agents from Immigration and Customs
Enforcement who escorted the domestic abuse survivor out of the
courthouse and into detention and perhaps deportation to Mexico. We will not continue to be the safest city in America. We will not
continue to contribute to the safety of the United States and to the
State of Texas if people don't feel comfortable reporting domestic
abuse, reporting crimes, serving as witnesses, and working with law
enforcement. I urge this President, this administration, to send an unequivocal
message to the Federal agents working in El Paso and every single one
of our communities that it is imperative for the safety and security of
this country and every person who is in this country that we respect
all people of all communities regardless of their immigration status.
(English translation of the statement made in Spanish is as follows:)
We are the safest community in the United States because every person
in our community feels safe. They feel safe because they can report
crime to the authorities; they can report cases of domestic abuse to
the authorities. And, through our work together, we are the safest
city.
Keywords matched
immigration Border
Protection undocumented Border Patrol Immigration deportation