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Democratic Rep. Sparks Fury After Calling Death of Migrant Children 'Intentional'

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A House Democrat sparked fury from fellow lawmakers after she said the death of illegal immigrant children is “intentional” on the part of the Trump administration.

Democratic Rep. Lauren Underwood of Illinois made the remark Wednesday at a congressional hearing during testimony from acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan on the need for an increased budget for border security.

“At this point, with five kids that have died, 5,000 separated from their families, I feel like, and the evidence is really clear, this is intentional,” the freshman Democrat said.

“It’s a policy choice being made on purpose by this administration, and it’s cruel and inhumane.”

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McAleenan called her accusation “appalling.”

“Our men and women fight hard to protect people in our custody every single day,” he said.

Republican Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama, the ranking member of the panel, demanded that Underwood’s comments be “taken down” because she had essentially accused McAleenan of murder, according to USA Today.

Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat, resisted, saying, “the language is appropriate and that it should not be taken down,” according to Fox News.

The committee subsequently voted in support of Rogers and against Underwood and Thompson.

Do you agree that Rep. Underwood was out of line with her comment?

However, Underwood had her say on social media.

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“For over a year, it’s been clear that policies at the border have harmed the physical and mental health of migrant children. I believe, at this point, failure to change these broken policies based on that knowledge is intentional and unacceptable,” she wrote.

Underwood’s comment was later echoed by Rep. Nanette Barragán, a California Democrat, who also used the word “intentional” to describe the deaths of migrant children in U.S. custody.

“It’s a belief based on all the lies that have been out in the public,” she said.

She said that based on the deaths of five children and the separation of thousands of families, McAleenan should be ashamed.

“That is despicable to say,” she said. “You should not be proud of a record of having five children die under your watch.”

McAleenan argued during the hearing that if Congress wants different results, it should adopt policies and a budget to allow agencies charged with border security to cope with the rising number of illegal immigrants crossing the border.

“The crisis is exceeding the resources provided,” he said, according to The Hill.

“We’ve asked for resources three weeks ago … and we’ve asked for changes in authorities for the last three years that would have prevented this from happening.”

During a Friday appearance on “Fox & Friends,” former Immigration and Customs Enforcement acting director Tom Homan bristled at Underwood’s remark.

“It’s a disgusting comment,” he said.

“These men and women of the Border Patrol, they are fathers and mothers and sons and daughters, too. They don’t leave their love for life at the station when they start the shift. They do everything they can to protect these people, so to dishonor them in this way is insulting.”

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Jack Davis is a freelance writer who joined The Western Journal in July 2015 and chronicled the campaign that saw President Donald Trump elected. Since then, he has written extensively for The Western Journal on the Trump administration as well as foreign policy and military issues.
Jack Davis is a freelance writer who joined The Western Journal in July 2015 and chronicled the campaign that saw President Donald Trump elected. Since then, he has written extensively for The Western Journal on the Trump administration as well as foreign policy and military issues.
Jack can be reached at jackwritings1@gmail.com.
Location
New York City
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Politics, Foreign Policy, Military & Defense Issues




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