After visiting the southern border, Congressman is left disgusted
Congressman Tom Suozzi, along with 15 other House Democrats, recently participated in a Congressional Delegation (CODEL), visiting detention centers along the southern border, in McAllen and Brownsville, TX. The group toured and inspected facilities that are currently holding Central American migrants seeking asylum. The delegation also met with several migrant families to hear, first-hand, their experiences and what can be done to help.
“My recent trip to the border makes it clear that this issue is incredibly complicated and has been for decades,” said Suozzi. “The policies and rhetoric from this administration have exacerbated the problem, permeating a culture of fear that forces many immigrants further into the shadows.”
He also added that in working together, he and his colleagues must set aside partisan differences to address immigration or “the current humanitarian crisis at the border;” work to secure the borders in a smart and effective way; help to create stability in the Northern Triangle Countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras that account for almost 90 percent of current immigrants and protect the legal status of Dreamers and TPS recipients (with a path to citizenship) and their families with renewable temporary protection.
“America is better than this,” Suozzi added. “I have worked on this issue since before I was elected Mayor of Glen Cove in 1993 and I will continue to fight for solutions consistent with our American values.”
Additionally, Suozzi learned that only 20-30 migrants seeking asylum are processed each day. This provides an incentive for people to cross in between ports of entry and be apprehended and then turn themselves in to seek asylum. This, in turn, leads to their detention.
At Lights for Liberty: A Vigil to End Human Detention Camps in Garden City on July 12, Sharon Golden of Together We Will Long Island criticized Suozzi for voting for the Senate version of a humanitarian aid bill, while the House version included more oversight.
“The bill that was passed showed no oversight,” Golden said. “To go down announced is a photo op…But when you go down unannounced, you see the truth.”
