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U.S. NEWS Thursday 7 March 2019
Homeland Security secretary insists border crisis is ‘real’

Continued from Front

He said real oversight over
the border was long over-
due.
“No amount of verbal gym-
nastics will change that she
knew the Trump adminis-
tration was implementing
a policy to separate fami-
lies at the border,” Thomp-
son said. “To make matters
worse, the administration
bungled implementation
of its cruel plan, losing track
of children and even de-
porting parents to Central
America without their chil-
dren.” Nielsen was grilled
on whether she was aware
of the psychological effects
of separating children from
their parents, and when she
knew ahead of time about
the “zero tolerance” policy
that led to the separation
of more than 2,700 children
from their parents last year. In this Dec. 3, 2018, file photo, migrants are escorted by a U.S. Border Patrol agent as they are detained after climbing over the
And she was asked about border wall from Playas de Tijuana, Mexico, to San Ysidro, Calif.
conversations with Trump Associated Press
as he declared a national term holding facilities. ers were being wrongly Department who over- der Patrol agents, includ-
emergency at the border Tens of thousands of fami- turned away at the bor- sees clogged immigration ing a contract worth up to
to try to gain funding for lies are crossing the bor- der. Homeland Security’s courts. $297 million for consulting
his proposed wall between der illegally every month, top internal watchdog of- Also Thursday, Customs and firm Accenture. The firm
the U.S. and Mexico. straining resources. Last ficial, John Roth, was also Border Protection officials successfully recruited only
“There is an emergency,” month, there were more testifying Wednesday, and will testify about challenges two agents during its first 10
Nielsen said. “I have seen than 76,000 migrants ap- James McHenry, a Justice of hiring and recruiting Bor- months of the contract.q
the vulnerable popula- prehended — it was more
tions. This is a true humani- than double the same
tarian crisis that the system period last year. And she
is enabling. We have to said the forecast is that the
change the laws.” problem will grow worse as
White House Press Secretary weather gets better; tra-
Sarah Sanders weighed in ditionally the early spring
on the hearing via Twitter: months see higher illegal
“The crisis at our border is no crossings.
secret,” she wrote. Demo- The new figures reflect the
crats were “just choosing difficulties Trump has faced
to ignore it.” as he tries to cut down on
The hearing is one of three illegal immigration, his sig-
at the Capitol on immigra- nature issue. But it could
tion Wednesday. Since also help him make the
Democrats took control of case that there truly is a
the House, they have pri- national emergency at the
oritized investigating last border — albeit one built
year’s family separations around humanitarian crises
and have subpoenaed and not necessarily border
documents related to the security. The Senate is ex-
policy. As Nielsen spoke to pected to vote next week
the House, Customs and and join the House in reject-
Border Commissioner Kevin ing Trump’s national emer-
McAleenan presented a gency declaration aimed
slide show to the Senate at building border walls,
Judiciary Committee that but Trump would almost
highlighted the growing certainly veto the measure
number of groups with at and the issue is likely to be
least 100 people in remote settled in the courts.
areas like the New Mexico Lawmakers also asked
Bootheel and Ajo, Arizona, Nielsen about the condi-
and the unprecedented tions of children held at
challenges of attending to Border Patrol facilities,
medical needs at its short- and whether asylum seek-