Press Releases

(Washington, D.C.) – Congressman Larry Bucshon, M.D. (IN-08) released the following statement after touring several immigration facilities along the U.S.–Mexico border in Texas, including Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) facilities where children detained at the border, both who crossed unaccompanied and who crossed as part of a family unit, are being housed. Along with Congressman Bucshon six other Members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, including Chairman Greg Walden, also toured the facilities.

“I recently visited our southern border and toured several immigration facilities to get a firsthand understanding of the challenges we face there. While it is clear that much more needs to be done to secure our border, the facilities we toured along the U.S.–Mexico border are well maintained, fully supplied, and adequately staffed to take proper care of the children in their charge. Unfortunately, many of these children have crossed the border with an adult who may not be a family member, and the vast majority of these children crossed the border unaccompanied.

“I will continue to work with my colleagues in Congress to ensure families that were separated at the border are reunified in a timely manner with a process that also protects the safety of the children. I believe the best solution to the situation at hand is to pass legislation to fix our nation’s broken immigration system and truly secure our borders, strengthen our legal immigration system, keep families together, and ensure that our nation remains true to our heritage as a nation of immigrants.”

Background:

All of the committee’s Republican members sent a letter to HHS on June 29, 2018, regarding the ORR program and the management, treatment, and reunification of unaccompanied alien children.

The letter followed the adoption of an amendment at a Health Subcommittee markup. The amendment, which passed by a unanimous 29-0 vote, required weekly reports to the committee and a formal strategy regarding the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS’) efforts to reunite these children with their families, in addition to addressing challenges previously identified by the committee.