Hoyer Statement on Introduction of the Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act

WASHINGTON, DC - House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement today on the introduction and his co-sponsorship of H.R. 3923, the Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act:

“I want to thank Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith and Rep. Pramila Jayapal for introducing the Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act, legislation I am cosponsoring to repeal mandatory detention for those awaiting immigration or asylum hearings, address substandard conditions at immigrant detention centers, and phase out the use of private detention facilities.  Congress must take action to ensure that migrant families are neither separated nor mistreated.  The people being detained in these facilities have escaped violence and brutality, and we ought not to treat them like caged animals.  This legislation would place the burden on the government to show whether there is probable cause to hold undocumented migrants and establish alternatives to detention.  Fifty-seven organizations have come out in support of this bill because our immigration and asylum policies must reflect our nation’s commitment to justice and a recognition of our common humanity.

“House Republicans continue to stall when it comes to addressing our immigration and asylum challenges.  Instead of working with Democrats to bring bipartisan legislation to the Floor, they keep trying to pass a partisan bill that cannot become law.  Meanwhile, children remain separated from their parents with no plan for reunification, and this Republican-led Congress’s fecklessness gives the Trump Administration a free hand to pursue extreme policies that run counter to American values.”