Page 4 - ARUBA TODAY

A4 U.S. NEWS
Tuesday 5 June 2018

U.S. senator refused entry to facility holding migrants' kids

By ANDREW SELSKY police officer. "And the
A U.S. senator said Monday attorney general's team,
he had tried to enter a and the Office of Refugee
federal facility in Texas Resettlement, they don't
where immigrant children want anyone to know
are being held, but police about what's going on
were called and he was behind these doors."
told to leave. Attorney General
Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley's Jeff Sessions recently
attempt late Sunday to announced a new "zero-
enter the facility and his tolerance policy" in which
request to speak to a it will press criminal charges
manager came amid a against all people crossing
national debate over the the border illegally, even
practice of separating if they have few or no
families caught crossing previous offenses. More
the border illegally. children are expected to
Merkley was accused of be separated from their
grandstanding by Victoria parents as a result.
Palmer, a spokeswoman for Sen. Bob Menendez, a
the Department of Health New Jersey Democrat, said
and Human Services' on Twitter that his team was
Administration for Children also barred from a migrant
and Families. facility where families were
The agency is caring for being separated. He said
the children being held the federal government's
in a former Walmart with actions were "outrageous"
blacked-out windows in and called for an
Brownsville, a city along the explanation from Secretary
Mexico border. of Homeland Security
The Department of Health Kirstjen Nielsen.
and Human Services says it It was out of concerns for
operates over 100 shelters "the safety, security and
in some 17 states, and that dignity of the children" that
children spend an average Merkley was barred from
of 51 days in them. entering the Brownsville
Merkley, a Democrat, live- facility, Palmer said in an
streamed on Facebook his email.
attempt to visit the facility, "No one who arrives
which is operated by a unannounced at one of
contractor. He said he and our shelters demanding
the press should be able access to the children in
to see conditions inside In this Nov. 28, 2017, file photo, Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., speaks at a rally in Washington. our care will be permitted,
because U.S. citizens are Associated Press even those claiming to
financing it. be U.S. senators," said the
"Every American citizen country illegally or are He gave the senator a and then tried to explain statement said.
has a stake in how these seeking asylum, he said. phone number of the to the officer why he had She said there's a "process"
children are being treated At another facility in public affairs office in the come to the facility. for entering such a facility
and how this policy is being McAllen, Texas, Merkley U.S. Department of Health "The children who were that he should follow "to
enacted," Merkley said in saw children in big cages, and Human Services in previously kept with their make headway on this
the video. his spokesman Ray Zaccaro Washington. families, under a new important issue, rather than
A new policy under said. Meanwhile, Brownsville policy just implemented by just headlines."
President Donald Trump In Brownsville, a supervisor police arrived and asked the attorney general, are By midday Monday,
is "ripping away" children emerged from the building Merkley for his name being separated from their Merkley's video had
from immigrant families and said he wasn't allowed and birth date. Merkley families and warehoused over 1 million views on
who have entered the to make any statement. provided the information here," Merkley told the Facebook.q