REPRESENTATIVE ADRIANO ESPAILLAT VOTES NO ON HOUSE RESOLUTION 990
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Rep. Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) released the following statement on his "NO" vote on H. Res. 990, a veiled attempt by House Republicans to sweep critical matters such as family separation and ICE human rights violations under the rug.
"I stand behind my original position that we must abolish ICE once and for all and create an agency capable of enforcing immigration in America with heart and compassion," said Rep. Adriano Espaillat (NY-13).
"ICE has strayed too far from its original mission, intent and purpose, and in the era of President Trump, the agency has been granted an unlimited range to terrorize immigrant communities around the country, regardless of citizenship or status. ICE has a very broad jurisdiction and was created to combat terrorism, human trafficking, and drugs. Yet, ICE now spends the majority of its time detaining and separating mothers and fathers seeking safety for themselves and their children - instead of focusing on hardened criminals, gangs and terrorists set out to hurt our country and negatively impact our quality of life. The officers and personnel who carry out ICE tactics have violated countless human rights, women's rights, rights of children and the rights of families.
"We are witnessing a human rights crisis, and I voted ‘NO' against H. Res. 990 as I cannot support this Republican attempt to sweep critical matters such as family separation under the rug. I fully stand by my original position that the agency must be dismantled," he concluded.
Last week, Rep.Espaillat joined Reps.Mark Pocan (WI-02) and Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) to introduce the Establishing a Humane Immigration Enforcement System Act, which would convene a commission of experts to provide a roadmap for Congress to implement a humane immigration enforcement system that upholds the dignity of all individuals and terminate the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) within one year of enactment.
# # #
First elected to Congress in 2016, Rep. Adriano Espaillat is serving his first term in Congress where he serves as a member of the influential U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, and the House Select Committee on Small Business. He is a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) and serves in a leadership role as CHC Freshman Representative to the Democratic Caucus. He is also chairman of the CHC Task Force for Transportation, Infrastructure and Housing. Rep. Espaillat's Congressional District includes Harlem, East Harlem, northern Manhattan and the north-west Bronx. To find out more about Rep. Espaillat, visit online at /.
Media inquiries: Candace Randle Person at Candace.Person@mail.house.gov