Jayapal, Nadler Issue Joint Statement on Delegation Trip to Southern Border

BROWNSVILLE, TX — House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jerrold Nadler and Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Subcommittee Ranking Member Pramila Jayapal issued the following statement after a Congressional Delegation trip to the southern border:
 
“Yesterday, we had informative conversations with members of law enforcement, local elected officials, and humanitarian leaders to get a full picture of what is happening, on the ground, at our southern border. This trip put into clear focus something we already knew to be true: our immigration system is in desperate need of reform with real legal pathways for migrants who are fleeing terrible situations or want to be reunited with family. In fact, since the implementation of additional legal pathways by the Biden Administration, encounters at the southwest border have dropped to their lowest levels in two years. We also saw how effective partnerships between NGOs and government can be to process in an orderly and welcoming way those who are seeking to enter our country.  We look forward to taking what we’ve learned from this trip back to the House Judiciary Committee as loud advocates for immigration reform that centers humanity and dignity for those coming to our country.”
 
Members toured the McAllen processing center, where they received a briefing from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) before going into the field to visit the border. They then toured an Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) facility where unaccompanied children are housed before being reunited with family or released to a sponsor, and a Humanitarian Respite Center. They then went to a port of entry (POE), the initial point of entry and detention for some people. They ended the day with a field hearing where they spoke with Mayor Trey Mendez, Astrid Dominguez Gonzalez, the Executive Director, Good Neighbor Settlement House, Alexis Bay, a Fellow with the Texas Civil Rights Project, and Lisa Mitchell-Bennet, a Project Manager/Senior Research Associate at the University of Texas Health Science Center.
 
Nadler and Jayapal were joined at the border by Representatives Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Jr. (GA-04), Ted W. Lieu (CA-36), and Deborah Ross (NC-02), all members of the House Judiciary Committee.

Issues: Immigration