Congressional Hispanic Caucus Statement Marking The One Year Anniversary of Trump Administration’s Remain In Mexico Program

WASHINGTON — Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) issued the following statement to mark one year of the Trump Administration enforcing their Remain in Mexico Program, also known as the "Migrant Protection Protocols":

"Today, we mark a horrific anniversary – one year of the Remain in Mexico policy, which has had a devastating impact on families and children at our border. I have seen this humanitarian crisis with my own eyes, when our Hispanic Caucus and Democratic colleagues crossed the border to visit families in Matamoros earlier this month. We were met with the sight of thousands of asylum seekers living in squalid tent camps, living with no running water and inadequate access to food, medical care, and basic sanitation. We met mothers and fathers who could do nothing but watch as their children become hopeless and sick.

"As of today, approximately 60,000 asylum seekers are unable to reach safety because of the Trump Administration's policies. While waiting, these families are vulnerable to kidnapping, assault, rape, extortion, and murder. They cannot access legal counsel, and then do not receive due process at the immigration tent courts across the border. Many are sent back after their court dates to wait months longer, and some have made the excruciating choice to send their children across the border alone rather than watch them suffer. Imagine their pain and fear as their children cross the border without them, not knowing if they will ever see each other again.

"This catastrophe was created by President Trump and the Remain in Mexico policy. He and his Administration have tried to get rid of a political problem without actually addressing the humanitarian crisis, and in the process have turned their backs on our international community and our American values. This country can no longer claim to be a moral leader - not with tens of thousands of families suffering at our borders. We must end Remain in Mexico, restore our asylum process, and work quickly to help those currently waiting to reach safety. We must see our common humanity in these families and recommit as a nation to treating migrants with dignity and respect."

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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.