Rep. Chu Blasts Misguided GOP Border Package to Address the Humanitarian Crisis

WASHINGTON, DC – Tonight, the Republican-led House passed H.R. 5230, which provides $694 million for federal agencies to respond to the humanitarian crisis at our border. The approved funding falls short of the $3.7 billion requested by President Obama and the $2.7 billion allocated in the Senate Democrats’ emergency spending bill. H.R. 5230 amends current protections for unaccompanied children that will result in their expedited removal. The bill passed by a vote of 223-189.

The House also passed H.R. 5272, the “No New DREAMers Act,” which would prevent the Obama Administration from processing new applications to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, authorizing a new deferred action program and authorize work permits for undocumented aliens. The bill passed by a vote of 216-192-1.

“These bills are un-American. Republican leadership chose partisan theatrics over serious legislation that could be signed into law. By turning to their most conservative factions, Republicans compromised within its own party to pass misguided bills that punishes young people who are productive members of our society, and even worse, pushes out vulnerable children who have come here for protection,” said Rep. Chu.

“The Republican bills unnecessarily puts more money into border enforcement instead of appropriating funds to deal with the root causes of this crisis. It undercuts the rights of children by gutting crucial legal protections, essentially denying these children a fair shot in court -- making it almost certain that children with valid claims of protection will be removed,” continued Rep. Chu. “And to sweeten the deal for their conservative members, Republican leadership chose to pull the rug from immigrants who are working hard to earn an education or serve in our military.”

“Our nation’s response must be consistent with our moral and legal obligation to protect the most vulnerable around us – not turning our backs on our founding principles that we stand for,” said Rep. Chu.

Since 2011, the number of unaccompanied minors attempting to cross the Southwest border has drastically increased. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) predicts that an estimated 90,000 unaccompanied children will attempt to enter the country by the end of this year. Many of the children attempting to cross into the U.S. are fleeing extremely violent environments in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras – collectively known as the Northern Triangle of Central America. Drug cartel and gang-related activity are the main cause for most of the violence occurring in the region. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, as many as 58 percent of the minors could qualify for international protection.

On Tuesday, Rep. Chu and the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) held an Ad Hoc hearing with three unaccompanied minors who shared their stories with Members of Congress. The CPC has also offered a comprehensive set of policy recommendations to help guide the Obama Administration and Congress’ response to the surge of unaccompanied minors arriving at the southern border of the United States. The CPC’s policy recommendations can be found here.