Suozzi After Visiting the Southern Border: "Situation is Awful, and the System is Broken"

On Saturday, Congressman Tom Suozzi (D – Long Island, Queens), along with 15 other House Democrats, participated in a Congressional Delegation (CODEL), visiting detention centers along our southern border, in McAllen and Brownsville, Texas. The group toured and inspected facilities that are currently holding Central American migrants seeking asylum. The delegation also met with several migrant families to hear, first-hand, their experiences and what can be done to help.

Following the trip, Congressman Suozzi released the following statement:

“My recent trip to the border makes it clear that this issue is incredibly complicated and has been for decades. The policies and rhetoric from this administration have exacerbated the problem, permeating a culture of fear that forces many immigrants further into the shadows. Working together we must:

• Address the current humanitarian crisis at the border;

• Work to secure our borders in a smart and effective way;

• Help to create stability in the Northern Triangle Countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras that account for almost 90% of current immigrants; and

• Protect the legal status of Dreamers and TPS recipients (with a path to citizenship) and their families with renewable temporary protection.

America is better than this. I have worked on this issue since before I was elected Mayor of Glen Cove in 1993 and I will continue to fight for solutions consistent with our American values.”

Additionally, Suozzi learned that only 20-30 migrants seeking asylum are processed each day. This provides an incentive for people to cross in between ports of entry and be apprehended and then turn themselves in to seek asylum. This, in turn, leads to their detention.