WASHINGTON, D.C.–This weekend, Congressman Marshall went to El Paso, Texas with a bipartisan group of members to assess the current situation at the border. During his visit, he met with representatives from Customs and Border Protection and visited an HHS Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) shelter in Tornillo, Texas.
“I went on this trip with more questions than answers. I quickly realized on my visit that there’s not a perfect fix,” Rep. Marshall said.
According to DHS’ statistics, arrests at the border are up to more than 50,000 individuals a month. The number of family units entering the country illegally has quadrupled from last year, while unaccompanied children crossing the border has tripled.
“For as long as people continue to break our laws and enter the country illegally, there will be massive stress on any system we create,” Rep. Marshall said. “While we try to show compassion to everyone, keeping our border secure is a top priority. Without border security, no immigration plan will work effectively.”
Congressman Marshall was startled to learn that there are 12,000 children currently in the care of HHS. Contrary to the impression given by national news, less than 20 percent of those children were separated from their families at the border. 83 percent of the children illegally crossed the border alone.
“First and foremost, my main goal was to make sure that these children were in good health and have access to all of the resources they need,” Dr. Marshall said. “Despite the mainstream media’s reports, the UAC facility in Tornillo is taking great care of these children giving them medical attention as well as the diet and cleanliness they need during this time.”
Roughly 7 percent of the kids held in the facility Dr. Marshall toured were separated from their family. According to HHS 94 percent of these children crossed the border alone, with a coyote, drug smuggler or were a victim of human trafficking.
“The situation at the border is serious. But we must also acknowledge our border patrol agents and their hard work,” Congressman Marshall said.“They’ve given their own personal items, food, stuffed animal etc. to care for these children.”
This week the House will vote on H.R. 6136, the Border Security and Immigration Reform Act.
This legislation would:
• Require DHS to maintain the care and custody of alien families that illegally cross the border together throughout their proceedings
• Has a legislative fix for DACA recipients
• Provides advanced appropriations of $25 billion for border security funding
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TORNILLO, TX (AP) — Hundreds of immigrant children detained at a facility at the U.S.-Mexico border were getting good food and medical care and appeared to be in good spirits, U.S. Rep. Roger Marshall said Saturday after touring the center he described as a “camp.”
Today I’m in Texas to assess the current situation at the border. I’ll be meeting with reps from Customs & Border Protection & visiting an Unaccompanied Alien Children facility in Tornillo. I’m coming with a lot questions & concerns. I want to see this first hand & find solutions
— Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) June 23, 2018
But the Kansas Republican said he remains concerned about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement centers for processing immigrants attempting to cross border illegally and that his trip to the El Paso area confirmed his belief that Congress needs to pass legislation mixing compassion for immigrants with greater border security.
The center Marshall visited as part of a bipartisan congressional group has tent-like shelters housing 400 young immigrants near the Tornillo port of entry. Most of the young immigrants there are teenage boys, and Marshall said 26 were separated from their parents during a recent crackdown on illegal border crossings, as opposed to attempting to cross unaccompanied.
“The kids looked in great health. They looked in great spirits. I did not see one sick kid,” he said during a cellphone interview after the visit. “They all had smiles on their faces. They were warm. They were receptive to me. I played soccer with them for 10 minutes.”
The Tornillo port is located about 40 miles southeast of El Paso in an area that’s mostly desert, and Marshall said the temperature Saturday hit 108 degrees. The tent-like structures have air conditioning. Marshall described the facility as a camp and said he was impressed by it and its staff.
Marshall represents the sprawling 1st Congressional District of western and central Kansas. While the district is heavily Republican and strongly supported President Donald Trump in the 2016 election, some business and agriculture leaders worry about tougher immigration policies making it harder to fill thousands of agricultural jobs. Marshall wants to couple border-security measures with changes in visas for guest agricultural workers.
“Nothing gets better without border security,” he said, adding that he plans to work on legislation to “tighten up” federal laws that prevent U.S. border security officers from immediately turning back Central American immigrants seeking to enter the U.S. illegally.
Marshall is the second Kansas congressman to visit the border. GOP Rep. Kevin Yoder, who represents the 3rd District in the Kansas City area, spent two days in early June in the Rio Grande Valley after becoming chairman of a U.S. House Appropriations subcommittee on homeland security.