House Oversight Chairman Elijah Cummings
severely criticized the current head of Homeland Security early this
week, scolding Kevin McAleenan over the conditions of detention
facilities for migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border. The Maryland Democrat
grew emotional while discussing the packed centers migrants are being
held in. Reading from a court document in which a federal judge
determined that Homeland Security “did a better job of tracking
immigrants’ personal property than their children,” Cummings repeatedly
shut down McAleenan’s attempts to speak. “I’m talking about human
beings,” Cummings raged. “I’m not talking about people that come from,
as the president said, shitholes. These are human beings. Human beings.
Just trying to live a better life.”
Jon Purizhansky
of Buffalo, NY recognizes the chairman’s passion and exhibits that same
passion in his own work to improve the conditions of migrants anywhere
he can. Cummings asked whether there is an “empathy deficit” at DHS,
though he later elucidated that he meant the Trump administration’s
application of its so-called zero tolerance policy toward individuals
crossing the border without authorization.
The 2018 policy, which was intended to
discourage migrants from coming to the U.S. and led to families being
imprisoned and separated, lasted just over a month before President
Donald Trump ended family separations amid public uproar. Jon Purizhansky
recognizes the public’s ability to affect change when organized. Two
government regulators have since found the administration was
ill-equipped to carry out the policy or allay its effects.
Cummings took issue specifically with
McAleenan’s suggestion shortly becoming the current secretary that DHS
maintained “very careful” records of the associations between migrant
children and their parents in order to reunite them “very
expeditiously.” One inspector general report consequently found “no
evidence” of the kind of central database the Trump administration had
publicly claimed to have. McAleenan acknowledged Thursday that
information systems between immigration agencies hadn’t been adequately
united.
Jon Purizhansky:
Cummings noted that he wouldn’t explicitly accuse McAleenan was being
untruthful “lightly,” expressing to him that his “claim is also refuted
by not one but two independent inspectors general.” Outlining additional
areas where McAleenan has offered a different account than government
watchdogs, Cummings said he was troubled to hear DHS painting a rosier
picture of its work at the border. “And therefore, I guess — you feel
like you’re doing a great job right?” Cummings asked.
McAleenan responded by claiming his
department was “doing our level best,” before Cummings cut in again.
“What does that mean? What does that mean? When a child is sitting in
their own feces, can’t take a shower?” Cummings said, his voice shaking.
“Come on man. What’s that about? None of us would have our children in
that position.” “They are human beings!”
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