[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 77 (Monday, May 12, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Page S4014]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                DETAINEE BASIC MEDICAL CARE ACT OF 2008

  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, I am speaking in support of legislation 
Senator Menendez and I have introduced today. It is the Detainee Basic 
Medical Care Act of 2008, to require the Secretary of Homeland Security 
to deliver timely and effective medical and mental health care to the 
individuals in custody.
  In the past week alone, the Washington Post, ``60 Minutes,'' and the 
New York Times have documented the shameful state of medical care in 
these detention facilities. These are people who come to the United 
States from all corners of the world. Some come to join their families; 
others come to search for jobs; others come as refugees. Some may be 
eligible to remain in the United States. Others may be subject to 
deportation. But at a minimum, they deserve basic medical care while in 
detention pending the outcome of their immigration proceedings, which 
often can take years. None of them deserves a death sentence.
  Congress has an obligation to act. The bill's introduction is an 
important first step, and the legislation raises the medical standards 
and restores accountability for meeting those standards.
  I look forward to working closely with Senator Menendez and others in 
the Senate to address what is really a national disgrace.

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