Congressional Hispanic Caucus Members Introduce Legislation to Establish Humanitarian Standards at the Border and Prevent Loss of Life
WASHINGTON — Today, members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) held a press conference to introduce the Humanitarian Standards for Individuals in CBP Act, authored by Congressman Raul Ruiz MD (CA-36). This bill would establish humanitarian and health standards to ensure that immigrants in US custody are treated with dignity and respect. Below are remarks as delivered by Congressman Castro (TX-20), Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus:
"Thank you Ben Ray and thank you everybody who is here, most especially to cover this very important issue. Thank you to Raul Ruiz, Dr. Ruiz, who has taken the initiative to establish for the United States basic medical and humane standards of care for migrants.
"As Raul had mentioned and Ben Ray mentioned, the suggestions originated with a trip that the Congressional Hispanic Caucus took to New Mexico. We retraced the area where one of the young migrants – Jakelin – died, and it was clear when we visited New Mexico and those CBP facilities that they were woefully under prepared to handle medical emergencies. They were unprepared to properly feed and shelter migrants who were arriving and asking for asylum.
"Something that sticks out to me from the explanation by the agents was that for those hundreds of people that came one night seeking asylum, all they had was granola bars and frozen burritos. Remember – you have young children, some of them infants, that are coming. People that have been on long trek.
"And so Dr. Ruiz took the initiative, working with many of us and also with experts in the field…to develop basic medical and humane standards of care.
"As Chairman of the CHC, I'm very proud of his work. I'm very proud that one of our members could lend such important work to this issue, which of course is even larger than this.
"This is especially important right now because we are in a perilous time for folks who are seeking asylum in the United States. During the Trump Administration in ICE custody alone, 24 people have died. 6 children have died in government custody during the Trump Administration. Condition seem to be getting worse, and there has been an element of cruelty to the way that this Administration is gone about handling asylum seekers.
"And so I hope that the House of Representatives and also the Senate after us will send a strong message that the United States – the strongest and most prosperous nation of Earth – is one that will treat humanely those folks who come here seeking refuge, fleeing desperate lands.
"So Raul I want to say thank you for all of your incredible work and we're behind you."
A full recording of the press conference is available here.
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The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), founded in December 1976, is organized as a Congressional Member organization, governed under the Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives. The CHC is dedicated to voicing and advancing, through the legislative process, issues affecting Hispanics in the United States, Puerto Rico and U.S. Territories.