Statement by Rep. Roybal-Allard at Press Conference on Unaccompanied Minors

Statement

The following is a statement that Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-40) delivered at today's Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) press conference on the unaccompanied minors situation:

As Americans, we have always been a beacon of hope and a symbol of fairness for those desperately fleeing violence and oppression from anywhere in the world.

So, as we try to address the crisis of young children escaping to our country from Central America, we must not abandon our American ideals or our moral obligation to care for these children.

Faced with unspeakable violence in their countries, these children are leaving their homes and fleeing to the United States in the hope of finding a safe haven.

These are kids like Belkis, a 13 year old girl from El Salvador.

Her uncle and her grandmother were murdered by gang members, who then threatened her brothers with an ultimatum to join the gang or die. Unwilling to become members of the gang, her brothers fled for their lives.

When the gang began stalking Belkis, she too feared for her life and embarked on a terrifying 6 month journey to the United States.

Belkis' story is just one of the many horrifying experiences from which these children are fleeing.

Our country's response to this crisis must be grounded in our value of children and in our respect for the rule of law.

There's no doubt the recent surge of children at our border has put a strain on our government and its ability to meet their needs.

Unless Congress acts, the Office of Refugee Resettlement, by the end of August, will exhaust all of its funding to care for these children.

To avoid an even greater humanitarian crisis, we urge the Republican leadership to quickly pass a clean emergency supplemental spending bill and to not undermine the basic legal protections afforded these children under our laws.

The terror and turmoil from which these kids are fleeing is real.

Short-term political considerations must not come before the long-term interests of children who may unjustly be returned to the violence and death from which they fled.

Let's live up to our moral obligations as Americans to address the humanitarian crisis on our border in a way that enhances our security, upholds our American values and reflects our love of children.

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