Pence visits Texas border patrol facilities, highlighting issues and overcrowding

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Joined by a group of reporters, Senate Republicans and Acting Secretary of Homeland Security, Kevin McAleenan, Pence visited two facilities in the Rio Grande Valley: Donna's treatment facility, temporarily hosting families , and McAllen Border Patrol Station, housing single adults found. illegal crossing in the United States.

At Donna, Pence saw oversized and air-conditioned installations, with children and their parents lying on cots, watching animated films and taking snacks.

In McAllen, the scene was quite different: Pence visited an extremely hot room called a marina with hundreds of men, a strong smell of sweat and an overpopulation so extreme that it was not there. had no room for children's beds, the migrants let sleep under concrete under mylar. covers.

"The vice president's office has specifically asked CBP not to clean or disinfect the facilities beyond routine, so that the American people can see how serious the crisis at the border is (overcrowding, lack of resources and beds), "said an administration official to an e-mail, noting that there were some secret service concerns about Pence's entry into the port of exit, but the office of the vice president asked for access to the press.

Asked by CNN if conditions for single adult immigrants detained were acceptable, Pence said no.

"No, it is not the case, which is why we asked Congress to provide additional support of $ 4.6 billion to Customs and the protection of the United States." borders, "said the vice president during an interview after the visits and a round table with officials of the Border Patrol. "The McAllen station, where our cells are overflowing … should be a very clear message to all Americans: the time to act is time to act and the time has come for the Congress to go ahead. acting to end the flow of families from North America arriving north to our border is now. "

Pence did not speak directly with any of McAllen's men, but he spoke to Donna's children and mothers, asking them if they were well cared for. They all nodded, yes. Children told him that their trip to the United States had taken two or three months. At Donna, there were rooms filled with health products, snacks and change of clothes for the migrants, many of whom arrived with mud-crusted shoes and pants during the trip.

On July 12, 2019, Vice President Mike Pence visited the McAllen Border Patrol Station in McAllen, Texas.

The men from McAllen's embarkation port told CNN that they had been under the care of Customs and Border Protection for more than 40 days. They said that they did not have access to showers or toothbrushes. They shouted at the reporters that they were hungry.

"It's not human, I'm not a terrorist," said one man.

The officer in charge of the patrol, Michael Banks, disputed some of these characterizations. He added that a caravan with showers had arrived on Thursday, although it is possible that some men have not bathed yet. He added that there were 88,000 disposable toothbrushes on site and that migrants were getting three hot meals a day at local restaurants. He said that the space that, despite the heat, has air conditioning, was cleaned three times a day. He specified that none of the migrants remained there for more than 32 days.

The trip took place weeks after inspectors from the Department of Homeland Security unexpectedly inspected Border Patrol facilities, and found extreme overcrowding and children under 7 years in custody more than two weeks – well more than the 72 hours scheduled – among other "urgent issues" discovered. The watchdog has found other violations of detention policy, such as a lack of hot meals, insufficient access to showers and limited access to spare clothes.

In addition, images of sordid conditions and state-of-the-art resources captured in reports and descriptions of their own visits by congressional Democrats drew the country's attention.

Pence said that there should be a "same standard of care" for families and single adults, to defend disparate conditions.

"What you saw today is a very clean facility where people were detained inside, and then you saw a temporary facility built because it's overcrowded, and we can not keep people in a cell beyond what the rules and regulations allow for, but everyone in this temporary facility has access to health care, hygiene and customs and to the protection of borders made its best in an overcrowded and hard-to-solve environment, but Congress needs to act, "he said.

The pictures of the vice-president walking on Friday at Donna's office contrast sharply with those of the DHS inspector general a few weeks previously overcrowded families with children. Overcrowding has been significantly reduced by the movement of most migrant children to health and social services institutions, thanks to new Congressional funding. There was a 28% drop in the number of migrants apprehended at the border in June, partly because of the season, but also, according to Pence, because of Mexico's support.

Pence stated that he had read the report but added, "I can not account for it," when CNN insisted that images with conditions similar to McAllen's for families with children were included in the report of the DHS Inspector General.

"The facility you saw today represents the level and standards of care we strive to provide to all who are caught in this crisis.Be remember, just a few weeks ago, Congress has finally recognized the crisis and gave us a new $ 4.6 billion in humanitarian aid.Now we will continue to improve, we will continue to provide care consistent with the expectations of the American people, "he said. calling on Congress to review its asylum laws and put an end to what he described as legal loopholes.

Officials say that child overcrowding has been greatly reduced thanks to additional funding that Congress has just adopted. As a result, most were moved within the 72-hour time limit for HHS facilities.

Although Mr. Pence's office also invited Democratic Senate members to attend Friday's visit, none of them were present, highlighting the highly politicized situation of the humanitarian crisis in the country. US-Mexican border. A group of congressional Democrats will visit the region on Saturday.

Democratic Senator Mazie Hirono of Hawaii told CNN Thursday that she did not want to be part of a politicized trip.

"I do not want to participate in what is basically the Trump show, the Trump-Pence show.What do you think they'll see?" You have a president who says: "All is well, these facilities These detention centers are just being run right, yeah, that's what they're going to see, but we all know in reports that things are not great, "she said.

Hirono continued, "Believe me, when one of us visits, he'll make sure to see what he wants us to see, and it's not real."

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