Congressional Record—House H5275
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June 19, 2018 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H5275 Juneteenth honors the end of the 400 years Bailey was at the Route 91 Harvest The world is watching. We are losing of suffering African Americans endured under festival on October 1 in Las Vegas, at- our moral authority as we speak. I beg slavery and celebrates the legacy of persever- tending the concert with her mother the President and the Speaker of the ance that has become the hallmark of the Afri- and other friends. She had a smile that House and others in this Congress to can American experience in the struggle for could light up the room and was capa- stop this now. equality. ble of making everyone laugh. f In recent years, a number of National Bailey was a natural born leader and WHAT HAS AMERICA BECOME? Juneteenth Organizations have arisen to take an amazing aunt to her brother Dako- their place alongside older organizations—all ta’s two kids. Bailey is remembered as The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under with the mission to promote and cultivate being a master at being friends to ev- the Speaker’s announced policy of Jan- knowledge and appreciation of African Amer- eryday people and to everyone she met. uary 3, 2017, the gentleman from Cali- ican history and culture. Mr. Speaker, I extend my condo- fornia (Mr. GARAMENDI) is recognized Juneteenth celebrates African American lences to Bailey Schweitzer’s family for 60 minutes as the designee of the freedom while encouraging self-development and friends. Please know that the city minority leader. and respect for all cultures. of Las Vegas, the State of Nevada, and Mr. GARAMENDI. Mr. Speaker, But it must always remain a reminder to us the whole country grieve with you. America, my colleagues, Democrat and all that liberty and freedom are precious birth- f Republican, this young girl needs our rights of all Americans which must be jeal- help. She is crying out for her parents. FAMILY SEPARATION ously guarded and preserved for future gen- She needs our help. She needs our help erations. (Mr. CORREA asked and was given now. She is crying for her mother and As it takes on a more national and even permission to address the House for 1 her father, who have been taken from global perspective, the events of 1865 in minute.) her. Texas are not forgotten, for all of the roots tie Mr. CORREA. Mr. Speaker, in late This is the picture of America today. back to this fertile soil from which a national May of this year, a 5-year-old boy This is a picture of our values as Amer- day of pride is growing. named Jose and his father arrived in El icans. 350 million of us are responsible f Paso, Texas. Together, they had braved for this young girl crying for her moth- the dangerous trek from Honduras to er and her father, who have been taken FAMILY SEPARATION the United States in search of freedom from her. (Ms. ROSEN asked and was given per- from gang violence, poverty, and hard- They came to America, her mother mission to address the House for 1 ship. came to America because she feared minute and to revise and extend her re- They came as asylum seekers and put that in her home country, they would marks.) themselves at the mercy of American be harmed. They came to America Ms. ROSEN. Mr. Speaker, the images laws. Instead, they were treated like seeking life. This young girl is crying we are seeing of children crying alone, criminals. out for our help, and she is not alone. calling out for their mothers and fa- They journeyed across the continent She is joined by this young girl, who thers, is absolutely heart-wrenching. for a life free of violence and a life free has been separated from her parents, Right now, innocent children are of crime. It is a human right enshrined and she is alone in a building foreign to being detained at our border, and they in international law. her. She is crying out to America for are going through unthinkable and life- When Jose arrived at the border, he our basic humanity, for our basic mo- altering trauma as a result of the was ripped away from his father and rality, and she is not alone. Trump administration’s cruel decision detained. Neither one of them were She is not alone, and neither are to separate migrant families. told when, or if, they would see each these young children in a cage in Let me be crystal clear: There is no other again. America. law requiring border agents to separate Jose was assigned to a host family he What have we become? What has migrant children from their parents, had never met, taken to a house he had America become that we would take yet this administration has chosen to never lived in, and was treated like a children and their parents who have implement this horrendous policy and prisoner in the land of freedom. come here seeking refuge, we take the deliberately ignore public outcry by re- According to his host family, every parents away and we put the children fusing to put an end to this madness. night he placed a handwritten picture in a cage? What has America become They are playing political games in- of his family under his pillow, holding that we would allow this to happen? stead of doing what is right and true to out hope that they would someday be Whatever the reason is for their ar- our American values. reunited. rival at our border, we know this about This heartless and inhumane behav- This is the picture that he drew. them: they came here seeking the very ior should not have to require action This is immoral, illegal, and an un- best of America, the promise of this from Congress to be changed. But with American practice that will not go country, and we put them in a cage. the President pledging to continue his unchallenged. What has America become that we heartless policy, we are compelled to f would allow this to happen, that the act. That is why I am helping intro- b 1930 man in the highest office of this Nation duce legislation that puts an end to would make it the policy of America to this despicable policy and keeps fami- THE WORLD IS WATCHING cage children; that the man who occu- lies together, which I urge all of my (Ms. SHEA-PORTER asked and was pies the highest office in this land colleagues on both sides of the aisle to given permission to address the House would make it the policy of this Na- support. for 1 minute and to revise and extend tion, a Nation whose reputation was f her remarks.) one of humanity, of concern, and fun- Ms. SHEA-PORTER. Mr. Speaker, damental morality, that the man who HONORING THE LIFE OF BAILEY America is looking on, indeed the occupies the highest office in this land SCHWEITZER world is looking on with horror as they would put in place policies that would (Mr. KIHUEN asked and was given see pictures of children in cages. make this young girl cry for her par- permission to address the House for 1 First it was denied. They were say- ents? minute and to revise and extend his re- ing, No, we weren’t separating families. Is this the America that we want? Is marks.) Then they said, Well, we are not put- this the America that we have come to Mr. KIHUEN. Mr. Speaker, today, I ting them in cages. be? Is this the America who has lost its rise to remember the life of Bailey And now America and the world sees moral compass, who believes that you Schweitzer. the truth. And it is up to the President. could take this young girl or these Bailey was a kid at heart who loved He could change this tonight if he young men and women, these children, playing around at her father’s speed- wanted to. I think we have to ask our- and hold them hostage? way racetrack in Bakersfield, Cali- selves: Why won’t he? Why won’t this The ransom is a border wall. Is that fornia. Congress do something? where we are as Americans that the VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:25 Jun 20, 2018 Jkt 079060 PO 00000 Frm 00049 Fmt 4634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A19JN7.060 H19JNPT1 H5276 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE June 19, 2018 price for a border wall is this? Is that You know, I don’t bark every time that he had come to the country with where we are as Americans? Is that this President sends out an outrageous his sister, but she was nowhere to be what we have become? tweet or makes a ridiculous statement. found. We can’t debate here on the justice But when something happens that is The other was a young girl named or the value of a policy without taking absolutely despicable, I am morally ob- Leah. She was 1 year old, and she was a young child away from its parents ligated to call the President out and separated from her parents. and putting them in a cage so that we hold him publicly accountable for his These are among the youngest vic- could somehow use them as ransom for actions. tims of this brutal policy of President a public policy. Ordering young children to be sepa- Trump in separating young children This is not America.