Swalwell Denounces Cruel Tea Party Border Bills

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell (CA-15) today voted against and condemned cruel, extreme Tea Party-authored legislation that threatens to send every unaccompanied child crossing our border back to their violence-ridden country, without compassion, sufficient inquiry, or process. It also deports DREAMERs (undocumented immigrants brought here as children), while doing little to actually solve the very real humanitarian crisis at the southern border. Last month, Swalwell, a member of the Homeland Security Committee, visited a Texas processing center for unaccompanied minors and questioned Governor Rick Perry at a field hearing about the border crisis.

"To solve this humanitarian crisis at the border we must summon America's spirit of generosity and decency and not cave to alarmist fear-mongering," said Swalwell. "These children are traveling alone, escaping possible death, to have what most of us were born into, freedom and opportunity. When children travel on their own, American values call for a thoughtful inquiry, on a case-by-case basis, into why each child came here and whether it's safe for them to return home. Unfortunately, this cruel, right-wing authored legislation essentially returns a child at America's doorstep back into the burning house he or she fled."

H.R. 5272 ends the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which provides discretion to the Department of Homeland Security to not deport certain undocumented youth who came to the U.S. as children. H.R. 5230 provides inadequate funding to respond to the humanitarian crisis at the southern border while failing to provide assistance to Central America to address the root causes of migration to the U.S.

"This crisis requires Republicans and Democrats to work together, for the sake of these children. Our toughest challenges present opportunities for our greatest achievements. There's no better time than now to solve this crisis by passing the Senate's bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform bill," added Swalwell.