Page 4 - aruba-today-20190713

A4 U.S. NEWS
Saturday 13 July 2019

Dems, Republicans air warring views on migrants' conditions

three months to arrive. He
responded, "God bless you"
in English and "gracias" in
Spanish.
"Every family I spoke to said
they were being well cared
for," Pence said, criticizing
Democrats' "harsh rhetoric."
Later Friday, though, Pence
visited an outdoor portal at
the McAllen Border Station,
where 384 single men were
being held in cages with no
cots.
"I was not surprised by what
I saw," Pence said. "I knew
we'd see a system that was
overwhelmed."
Back at the House com-
mittee, four border state
Republicans sat at the
same rectangular witness
table as their Democratic
counterparts and blamed
Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., center, wipes her eyes while testifying before the House Oversight Committee hearing on family Democrats for migrants'
separation and detention centers, Friday, July 12, 2019 on Capitol Hill in Washington. Also sitting at the panel with Tlaib are Rep. problems.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY., left, and Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., right. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas,
Associated Press mocked Democrats' bor-
By ALAN FRAM ing they're destined to be revealed, including 25 kept Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., der trip, accusing them of
Associated Press a leading issue for the 2020 over a year, and at least was near tears as she dis- posing "next to an empty
WASHINGTON (AP) — Four presidential and congres- 30 remain apart from their played a picture she said parking lot while making up
House Democratic fresh- sional campaigns. parents. The figures reflect was of a 7-year-old Guate- hyperbole for clips, Twitter
men who recently toured The hearing came as the "a deliberate, unnecessary malan girl — the same age followers and cynical poli-
detention stations for mi- number of families, children and cruel choice by Presi- as her son — who died in tics." Ocasio-Cortez has 4.7
grants along the Texas bor- and other migrants enter- dent Trump and his admin- U.S. custody. She criticized million Twitter followers.
der told a House commit- ing the U.S. from Mexico istration," the report said. harsh policies "intentionally Last week a report by the
tee Friday of jam-packed, has surged above 100,000 Congress approved $4.6 and cruelly created by a Department of Homeland
fetid holding areas "in front monthly since March, over- billion last month to help Trump administration dead Security's inspector gener-
of the American flag" and whelming federal agen- improve conditions. But set on sending a hate-filled al found children at some
accused President Donald cies' ability to detain them that measure angered message that those seek- Texas border facilities who
Trump of intentional cruelty in sanitary conditions or liberals who felt it lacked ing refuge are not wel- faced clothing shortages
to discourage future arriv- move them quickly to bet- requirements forcing bet- come in America." and lacked hot meals,
als. ter housing. It also came ter treatment of migrants, Tlaib added, "It's a danger- while some adults were
Firing back, a quartet of days before Trump-ordered prompting internal frictions ous ideology that rules our held for a week in a cell
Republicans from border nationwide raids targeting that have yet to fully play nation right now." so crowded they had to
states told the same panel people in the U.S. illegally out. Departing the White House, stand.
that Democrats weren't are expected to begin, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio- Trump told reporters with- The House will soon vote on
doing anything to ease the according to administra- Cortez, D-N.Y., the 29-year- out evidence that Ocasio- one bill by Rep. Veronica
crisis and blamed them for tion officials and immigrant old progressive icon, was Cortez' account of women Escobar, D-Texas, tighten-
posturing that one said was activists, actions that would among the four Democrats being told to drink from a ing oversight of the Home-
aimed at "Twitter followers further inflame the issue. — all women — who testi- toilet was "a phony story land Security Department
and cynical politics." Before Friday's session be- fied. After being sworn in she made it up." and another by Rep. Raul
Meanwhile, Vice President gan, panel Chairman Eli- at her request, a practice As if in counterpoint to Ruiz, D-Calif., establishing
Mike Pence was touring jah Cummings, D-Md., re- the committee generally Democrats' testimony, care standards for seized
detention facilities in Texas. leased a report providing eschews for fellow lawmak- Pence and eight GOP law- migrants. Senate Demo-
After seeing one site where new details on 2,648 of the ers and seemed a taunt at makers toured a border cratic legislation would
almost 400 men were being children the Trump adminis- dubious Republicans, she station Friday in Donna, curb family separations
held outside in cages in the tration separated from their described migrant wom- Texas, a vast collection of and set health and treat-
sweltering heat, Pence ac- families last year before en telling her they had to air-conditioned, intercon- ment standards.
knowledged, "This is tough abandoning that policy un- sleep on the concrete floor nected tents built in May Also testifying Friday were
stuff." der widespread pressure. and drink from the toilet to temporarily handle 1,000 Escobar and Rep. Ayanna
Friday's House Oversight Unknown numbers of oth- because their cell's sink was migrants and currently Pressley, D-Mass., who said
and Reform Committee ers were also separated. broken. holding 800. Many lay on federal treatment of mi-
hearing offered a micro- The report, using data the "I believe these women," mats on the floor, covered grants has "exceeded a
cosm of the nation's red- panel demanded from she said. "What was worst by foil blankets as children level of degradation we
blue chasm and, perhaps, federal agencies, found about this was the fact that watched TV. should be ashamed is oc-
a chance for each side that 18 children under age there were American flags With Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, curring on American soil."
to vent. But ultimately, it 2 — half who were just hanging all over these fa- and Homeland Security Other Republicans who ap-
underscored each party's months old — were kept cilities, that children were Secretary Kevin McAleen- peared were Arizona Reps.
starkly warring views about from their parents up to being separated from an translating into Spanish, Debbie Lesko and Andy
Trump's hardline anti-immi- half a year. Hundreds were their parents in front of the two children told Pence Biggs and Rep. Michael
gration policies, suggest- held longer than previously American flag," she said. they'd walked two and Cloud, R-Texas.q