Congresswoman Lois Frankel issued the following statement in response to the legislation that passed late this evening regarding the crisis of thousands of unaccompanied children crossing at the U.S./Mexico border.

“Sadly, instead of dealing with a humanitarian crisis in a humanitarian way, or bringing about bipartisan immigration reform, House Republicans are being mean-spirited and punitive,” said Frankel.

Tens of thousands of frightened and desperate children are fleeing gang and drug cartel violence in Central America and coming across our border. They are being placed in overcrowded, inadequate facilities. There are not enough lawyers or judges to give them the due process hearings that they are entitled to under the law.

HR 5230 ignores the President’s budget request, giving priority to paying the Texas National Guard for border patrol instead of Health and Human Services for suffering children.

The bill also allows border officials to turn the children away immediately, eliminating due process rights to determine if they have credible asylum claims. This repeals a 2008 law passed under the Bush administration.

HR 5272 – a further appeasement to Tea Party Members – takes our country a giant step backwards from reforming our nation’s broken immigration system. It would restrict the 2010 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which allows young undocumented immigrants who crossed the border before 2007 – while under the age of 16 – to request temporary relief from deportation proceedings and apply for work authorization.  These are mostly children and young adults that only know America as their home.

Frankel voted with Democrats who tried to force a vote on bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform legislation that would secure the border, protect workers, unite families, create jobs and reduce the deficit by nearly 900 billion dollars.

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