[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 108 (Wednesday, June 26, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H5176]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          CRISIS AT THE BORDER

  (Mr. CICILLINE asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. CICILLINE. Mr. Speaker, last week the Department of Justice tried 
to argue in Federal Court that the United States Government did not 
have to provide detained children with soap, toothbrushes, or even 
beds. The department refused to answer whether or not the children's 
ability to go to sleep was a requirement of providing safe and sanitary 
conditions.
  This is another despicable example of this administration's harmful 
policies that are meant to do nothing more than strike fear in the 
hearts of those who come to our border.
  They continue to try to hide this from the American people. They told 
Congress that there was no family separation policy. That was a lie. 
Now, they are trying to explain away the inhumane treatment of the very 
children they have chosen to separate from their families. I have been 
to the border. I have seen the cages and the foil blankets. I have 
talked to the children and the parents they have been separated from. 
This is a crisis.
  Yesterday, thankfully, the House passed $4.5 billion in emergency 
funds to strengthen health and safety requirements for migrants of all 
ages, to protect parents from unnecessary separation or prolonged 
detention, and to help address the root causes that are forcing people 
to flee their own countries.
  America is the greatest country in the world. There is no reason that 
children should be in cages or people should be dying in the custody of 
our government.
  Mitch McConnell needs to do his job, pass this bill, and send it to 
the President's desk to be signed into law immediately.

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