Congresswoman Veronica Escobar Statement on Sec. Nielsen’s Request to Deport and Detain Asylum-Seeking Families

(El Paso, TX) – Today, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (TX-16) issued the following statement on the Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen’s letter to Congress requesting to deport and detain asylum-seeking families:

“Once again, Secretary Nielsen is using an increase in the number of asylum seekers as a vehicle to promote an abhorrent policy. Her request for broader authority to detain families indefinitely and deport migrant children, denying them their right to due process, is offensive and anti-American.”

“Secretary Nielsen has demonstrated time and time again that she does not have the competence to lead the Department of Homeland Security and only knows how to be the Trump’s administration’s cheerleader for cruelty. Instead of presenting humane, lawful solutions reflective our American values, this administration continues to respond with new strategies to violate human and civil rights. We again remind her that cruelty is not a solution, and I reaffirm my call for her immediate resignation.”

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