[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 29 (Thursday, February 14, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H1997-H1998]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HUMANITARIAN STANDARDS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Ruiz) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. RUIZ. Mr. Speaker, two names have been lost in months of 
government shutdowns and threats of national emergencies: Jakelin Caal 
Maquin and Felipe Gomez Alonzo. Those were the children who died in 
December while in the custody of our Federal Government.
  Let me tell you a bit about Jakelin's story and how, in the next 48 
hours, we will take a historic first step to forever change how our 
Nation treats children fleeing violence.
  Jakelin Caal Maquin was 7 years old. She joined her father in fleeing 
the extreme danger and poverty of her village, San Antonio Secortez in 
Guatemala. Together, they dreamed of new opportunities, of new safety, 
of a home free from violence and discrimination where they could build 
a life and support their loved ones at home.
  Jakelin and her father chose the same destination that asylum 
seekers, immigrants, and refugees have sought for centuries: the United 
States of America.
  But the conditions I saw at the Border Patrol facilities where 
Jakelin and her father were held were not worthy of our American 
ideals. The conditions did not demonstrate respect for the human 
dignity of the individuals in our Federal Government's care.
  Look, I am a doctor. I know what a functioning emergency medical 
response protocol looks like and how it should operate, and this was 
not it.
  I saw women, infants, toddlers, and the elderly packed and even piled 
on top of each other, open toilets in crowded cells without any 
privacy, visibly sick people, children coughing on one another, and I 
immediately saw that the Border Patrol agents did not have the 
resources to respond to a life-threatening medical emergency.
  Mr. Speaker, let me put this into perspective. I traveled to Haiti 
days after the devastating 2010 earthquake, where I served as the 
medical director of the country's largest camp of internally displaced 
people. The conditions I saw at the New Mexico Border Patrol facilities 
were worse than those I saw in Haiti, the most impoverished country in 
the Western Hemisphere, after their most challenging and devastating 
disaster.
  Here we are, the greatest nation on our planet, and we are putting 
children in cages and denying them free access to food, water, and a 
private toilet.
  Then and there, I committed myself to creating humanitarian standards 
that are worthy of human dignity: real solutions, not empty promises, 
that will save the lives of children at the border.
  I introduced legislation that makes it clear Congress expects CBP to 
implement three crucial reforms as soon as possible:
  First, provide meaningful medical examinations of individuals 
entering our borders. A basic physical exam would have shown warning 
signs of Jakelin's septic shock and most probably saved her life. A 
child who dies from septic shock does not look normal 8 hours 
beforehand.
  Second, invest in essential medical equipment and trained medical 
personnel available to respond to life-threatening emergencies. When 
medical care is far away, agents need the resources, equipment, and 
knowledge to care for each other and the individuals in their custody.
  Third, provide basic humane living conditions that are safe and 
hygienic, where individuals can access adequate food, water, and 
showers.
  These are straightforward reforms. They move us closer to a system 
that is safe, humane, and aligns with our fundamental ideals as 
Americans.
  Our work is not done, but we have reached an important milestone. We 
are beginning to address the humanitarian crisis at our border, not 
with rhetoric and political showboating or grandstanding, but with 
real, life-saving solutions.
  This week, we will not just pass a bill that averts a government 
shutdown; we will pass a bill that provides funding for, and holds CBP 
accountable to, implementing the humanitarian standards included in my 
legislation, H. Con. Res. 17. These reforms will save lives and help 
restore our legacy as a nation that recognizes the dignity and 
fundamental rights of every human being.

[[Page H1998]]

  So, Mr. Speaker, I will speak the names of those two children again: 
Felipe Gomez Alonzo and Jakelin Caal Maquin. We must have the courage 
to recognize their humanity.

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