Connecticut House Delegation Votes to Pass Bill to Enforce Humanitarian Standards at U.S.-Mexico Border

WASHINGTON, DC – Last night, the Connecticut Congressional Delegation voted to pass the Humanitarian Standards for Individuals in Customs and Border Protection Custody Act (H.R. 3239), critical legislation introduced by Rep. Raul Ruiz (CA-36) that responds to the chaos of the Trump Administration's immigration policy on asylum seekers, which has contributed to the deaths of ten people in Customs and Border Protection (CBP) custody in the last nine months – three children, and seven adults. Representatives John Larson (CT-01), Joe Courtney (CT-02), Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), Jim Himes (CT-04) and Jahana Hayes (CT-05) are each co-sponsors of H.R. 3239, which passed the House by a vote of 233-195.

"I've heard an outpouring of concern expressed from people across eastern Connecticut about the treatment of children and families at CBP facilities along the U.S.-Mexico border," said Congressman Courtney. "Having travelled to El Paso, Texas just last year to see firsthand the fallout from this Administration's border policies, it's been deeply troubling to follow the recent reports emanating from along our southern border. What's happening at our southern border is nothing short of a humanitarian crisis—these facilities are totally unequipped to provide even the most basic humanitarian standards to the people they are focused on detaining and holding, and the Administration's inaction to remedy the disaster has enforced the notion that it's a crisis by-design. This Administration's abuse of our country's long-established asylum process has created a disaster at our southern border. The Connecticut delegation is unified in our belief that all people deserve humane treatment and dignity, and I was proud to join them in voting to pass this bill. Once again, the Senate should follow our lead and pass this bill."

"The Trump Administration has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis at the broader. We should be helping those seeking asylum, not denying them basic human rights. The current treatment and conditions on our southern border coupled with the Administration's refusal to remedy this disaster will be a dark stain on our nation's history. Everyone deserves the right to be treated with a basic level of humanity. That's why I voted, along with the rest of the Connecticut delegation, for immediate remedies and standards for CBP facilities. This abuse and mistreatment must stop," said Rep. Larson.

"I have seen first-hand the humanitarian crisis at the border, and it is shocking," said Congresswoman DeLauro. "The conditions the Trump Administration is forcing many children and families to live in are cruel and inhumane. We would never allow our own grandchildren or relatives live without basic necessities. Everyone deserves access to basic health screenings, medical care, food, water, hygiene products, and shelter. Anything less than that flies in the face of our values as a nation. That is why I am proud to stand with my colleagues in Connecticut and throughout the Democratic Caucus to pass legislation that addresses these urgent problems. The House has acted, and the Senate should as well immediately."

"We need to provide not only funding but also humanity," said Congressman Himes. "Sanitation, clean water, adequate food. The way we treat the those caught in our broken immigration system reflects on who we are as a people. I'm proud to stand with the rest of my colleagues from Connecticut for our shared Yankee values. I urge the Senate to do what's right and pass this bill immediately."

"When I visited the Homestead detention facility last month, I was disturbed by how little information was available even to Members of Congress," said Congresswoman Jahana Hayes. "I supported the Humanitarian Standards for Individuals in Customs and Border Protection Custody Act along with my Connecticut colleagues, because in the United States of America, no person should be held without access to basic human rights like food, showers, and proper medicine. The United States must match the promise of who we are and what we can be."

The Humanitarian Standards for Individuals in Customs and Border Protection Custody Act requires CBP to ensure that its border facilities are equipped to meet and deliver basic humanitarian standards of care for detained individuals, including families and children.

Specifically, the bill:

• Protects children's and families' health: requires CBP to provide timely, appropriate and standards-based health screenings by licensed medical professionals.
• Creates standards for clean water, sanitation, and hygiene: requires CBP to provide sufficient, clean drinking water; private, safe and clean toilets; a handwashing station; and basic personal hygiene products.
• Sets out nutrition standards: requiring that detainees receive three meals a day, with age-appropriate caloric intake, and special diets for babies, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and the elderly and ill.
• Establishes standards for shelters: Specifying space requirements, temperate ranges and bedding standards, and also protecting religious freedom, family unity and the safety of unaccompanied minors and LGBTQ persons.