Speech #CREC-2017-07-26-pt1-PgH6313-6_t37

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I include in the Record a letter from Amnesty International rejecting the border wall funding. Amnesty International, Washington, DC, July 26, 2017. Amnesty International USA Urges House to Reject Southern Border Wall Funding Dear Representative: On behalf of Amnesty International USA and our more than one million members and supporters nationwide, we strongly urge you to reject any and all requests included in H.R. 3219 (Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2018 AKA Make America Secure Appropriations Act, 2018) for the funding of a southern border wall. The construction of such a wall would pose serious human rights consequences and would violate international law and standards in two major ways. First, Congress should not approve funding for a wall that will cut through tribal land unless the U.S. government first obtains the free, prior, and informed consent of affected Nations, as prescribed by Article 19 of the United Nations (``UN'') Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The U.S. must consult in good faith with Native American Nations who would be impacted by the construction of the proposed wall. The National Congress of American Indians and the Legislative Council of the Tohono O'odham, the second-largest tribe in the United States by land holdings, have both passed resolutions opposing the construction of the wall without tribal consent. Without the free, prior, and informed consent of affected Native American Nations, the House cannot approve border wall funding without violating the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Second, the construction of a border wall risks escalation of the already serious violations experienced by asylum seekers seeking to enter the U.S. In order to provide a fair asylum process, the U.S. must ensure the existence of sufficiently located, secure, regulated border crossing points for asylum seekers. This is essential to ensure that the U.S. government does not violate the principle of non- refoulement, which is enshrined in the 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and binding on States Party to the 1967 Protocol. Amnesty International strongly urges you to reject funding for a southern border wall, in order to uphold U.S. obligations with respect to Native Americans and arriving asylum seekers. Sincerely, Joanne Lin, Senior Managing Director, Advocacy and Government Relations.