Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez cries when hearing the story of a child who died after being detained by ICE

Yazmin Juárez said he fled Guatemala with his girlfriend Mariee, hoping to get asylum in America. But, after being detained in the United States, the 21-month-old has passed away. On Wednesday, the young mother told her story to the legislators of the House and the moving testimony brought New York. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to tears.

The family was detained in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in Dilley, Texas, when Mariee fell ill. On their first night there, Juárez said: "We spent a very cold night … sleeping on concrete." She recalled that the food was not healthy – "inappropriate" for a child and that she "was passing through many hands" and that, she said, exposed Mariee to "a lot of" Other germs "that could make her sick.

Although Juárez sought medical attention for his daughter and received medication, his health deteriorated. Six weeks after the departure of Juárez and her daughter from the ICE facility, Mariee passed away.

The young mother told her story in Spanish, which was interpreted by a translator. "Going ahead without my little girl, it's like they had me ripped off some of my heart, as they had ripped off my soul." "said the translator. "I suffer every day, it is difficult to get up and go ahead without it.I wanted to have a good life for her, a better future and work hard so that she could continue to grow as she was, but now I will not be able to do that because she is gone. "

A camera capturing the audience was turned towards the legislator while the translator from Juárez spoke. The Democrat of Maryland, Jamie Raskin, chair of the subcommittee on civil rights and freedoms, was visibly helpless, rubbing her face and putting her hand on her mouth. Texas Republican Chip Roy also seemed upset by the story.

As the camera headed for Democratic recruit Ocasio-Cortez, she tore herself apart as the translator spoke. For more than 35 seconds, the legislator cried and wiped his eyes with a tissue.

Ocasio-Cortez is a long-time critic of Trump's strict immigration policies and recently visited a detention center at the border in El Paso, Texas. She described the conditions in the establishment as "horrible" and claimed to have witnessed "one of the most inhumane behaviors".

In an interview with David Remnick of the New Yorker Radio Hour, she indicated her support for the abolition of ICE, a common rallying cry among House Democrats. The New York native even suggested dissolving the Department of Homeland Security in the interview.

Six migrant children died under the custody of the United States – or shortly after being released – under the mandate of President Trump. Juárez is sue the US government for $ 60 million alleging that ICE failed to provide his daughter with the appropriate medical care.