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WASHINGTON— Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) issued the following statement on the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act also known as the “CARES” Act, which marks the third coronavirus response bill passed by the Senate:

WASHINGTON— Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) Members requested information from State Child Welfare Agencies to determine if the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been using these agencies in border states to separate asylum-seeking mothers from their newborn infants, who are United States citizens. According to news reports, agencies have been asked to take custody of newborn babies after DHS attempted to detain their mothers or send them to Mexico under the “Remain in Mexico” policy as a deterrent to persuade other migrants to not enter the United States. In one case, a Honduran mother was almost detained and sent to Mexico while her newborn infant child continued to receive care in the intensive care unit. This troubling practice is not currently tracked as family separations by DHS. CHC’s letter to child welfare agencies is the first step in creating data and accountability for these previously unrecorded family separations.

WASHINGTON— Congressional leaders, led by CHC Chairman Castro and CHC Freshman Representative Escobar, called on Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Acting Secretary Chad Wolf to meet with them to further discuss the establishment of the Ombudsman for Immigration Detention and appointment of a new ombudsman. The Fiscal Year 2020 funding omnibus provided $10 million for the creation of this new office, which will fulfill specific functions, ranging from establishing a redress process for misconduct at the Department of Homeland Security to making recommendations to improve detention facilities. The new office of the Ombudsman is especially critical given that the Trump Administration continues to expand detention of immigrants and face reports of inhumane conditions and misconduct within DHS facilities. In fiscal year 2020 thus far, 10 immigrants have died in ICE custody. The previous fiscal year in total included 8 deaths in ICE custody.

WASHINGTON— On Monday and again today, President Donald Trump in two tweets referred to the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) as the “Chinese Virus.” He later doubled down on the use of this term during a press conference earlier today. This violates guidance issued by the World Health Organization and the promises by members of Trump’s own administration, including Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Dr. Robert Redfield, to refrain from using that term precisely to describe COVID-19 because it incites blame, racism, and hatred towards Asian Americans, putting them at risk for prejudice and violence. Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) Chairwoman Judy Chu, Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) Chairman Joaquin Castro, Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Chairwoman Karen Bass, and Congressional Native American Caucus Co-Chair Deb Haaland issued the following joint statement:

WASHINGTON – Today, the House Congressional Tri-Caucus, in a letter led by Congressman Andy Kim (NJ-03), called on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to offer accessible translations of its materials related to the COVID-19 Coronavirus outbreak in all major languages spoken in the United States.

WASHINGTON— Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) Chairman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) and CHC Immigration Task Force Chairwoman Linda T. Sánchez (CA-38) called on Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Acting Secretary Chad Wolf and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar to prepare plans for managing the spread of COVID-19, commonly known as the coronavirus, within DHS and HHS Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) facilities. The members also called on both departments to share plans for resource management, release of detainees, and treatment of individuals exhibiting symptoms.

WASHINGTON— The Congressional Tri-Caucus – which represents over half of the Democratic Caucus and includes the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), and Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) – called on Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Acting Secretary Chad Wolf to suspend immigration enforcement activities around hospitals and medical clinics in order to prioritize public health as communities across the country are experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks. The members further request that DHS suspended implementation of the public charge rule in order to protect public health and for the agency to provide timely communications about any USCIS office closures.

Washington, D.C. – On Thursday, March 5, 2020 from 10:15 AM – 10:45 AM ET, exactly one week before the online Census form goes live, Members of the Congressional Tri-Caucus – composed of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), and Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), will hold a press conference on the 2020 Census and the impact of the historical undercount of communities of color in the decennial census. The results of the 2020 Census will inform the allocation of over $1 trillion in federal funding, countless policy and business decisions, and the apportionment of Congressional seats.