Houston Republic

Legislation would force unaccompanied children into dangerous situations, jail families and children indefinitely, and create disorder at the border

On May 11, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) voted against the Secure the Border Act, H.R. 2.

“We have complex border security and immigration policy matters to address, but the bill brought to the floor today does not address them, it exacerbates them,” said Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher.  “I support comprehensive immigration reform and a safe and secure border.  We need legislation that addresses the very real concerns in our community, treats migrants humanely and fairly, and honors our country’s principles and obligations to allow those fleeing persecution and human rights violations in another country to seek asylum.  This bill fails to do these things and fails to reflect our values.  For these reasons, I voted no.

“Houston is a city of immigrants,” she continued.  “We celebrate our diversity and our history of welcoming immigrants and refugees.  In the last year alone, Houston organizations have assisted nearly 25,000 new arrivals.  We know firsthand the challenges before us and are ready to continue to offer meaningful solutions to these complex challenges in partnership with our fellow Texans.”

If enacted, H.R. 2 would:

•    Create asylum eligibility requirements that would effectively end asylum and violate existing refugee law; 

•    Restrict U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) responsibilities to process arrivals at ports of entry fairly and efficiently;

•    Prohibit the Office of Refugee Resettlement from funding legal counsel for unaccompanied children;

•    Defund non-profit and faith organizations that help the U.S. government process asylum seekers and provide food, shelter, and clothing assistance to asylum seekers and other vulnerable populations;

•    Eliminate funding for alternatives to immigration detention that are more humane and cost-effective and provide important services like legal orientation, human and sex trafficking screenings, and other social services; and

•    Immediately restart construction of the border wall. 

Congresswoman Fletcher has long been an advocate for fixing our broken immigration system, based on the input and experience of her diverse constituents.  For the past two years, Congresswoman Fletcher has led efforts to address the immigration court backlog and hire more immigration judges to help reduce the nearly 2 million pending immigration cases, improve our immigration system, and ensure due process.  In the last Congress, she voted for the bipartisan American Dream and Promise Act to establish a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers and for individuals with Temporary Protected Status.  She also voted for the bipartisan Farm Workforce and Modernization Act to provide a pathway to legal status for agricultural workers through continued agricultural employment, stabilizing the industry and ensuring the health and safety of our country’s food supply. 

Standing with Houston values, she has continuously expressed the need to treat every person arriving at the border with dignity and respect, in recognition of our common humanity.

Original source can be found here.