Members of “the Squad,” a group of the furthest-left House members, criticized the Biden administration for reopening a child migrant facility this week.
The facility, located in Carrizo Springs, Texas, reopened on Monday as dozens of teenagers boarded vans to go there, according to the Washington Post. It is being reactivated to hold up to 700 teenagers aged 13-17 as the coronavirus pandemic has forced other facilities to limit their capacity.
“This is not okay, never has been okay, never will be okay – no matter the administration or party,” Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said on social media. “Our immigration system is built on a carceral framework. It’s no accident that challenging how we approach both these issues are considered ‘controversial’ stances. They require reimagining our relationship to each other and challenging common assumptions we take for granted.”
CRUZ SLAMS BIDEN ADMINISTRATION IMMIGRATION POLICIES AMID SURGE IN UNACCOMPANIED MINORS
“It’s only 2 [months] into this admin & our fraught, unjust immigration system will not transform in that time,” she added. “That’s why bold reimagination is so [important]. [The Department of Homeland Security] shouldn’t exist, agencies should be reorganized, ICE gotta go, ban for-profit detention, create climate refugee status & more.”
The same facility was the stage for protests against former President Donald Trump’s immigration policies when it opened in the summer of 2019. Despite the backlash the Trump administration faced for opening the facility, Department of Health and Human Services spokesman Mark Weber said children placed at the facility receive good care, something that has not changed between administrations.
Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar issued a similar rebuke to the policy decision, calling it “callous.”
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“Multiple administrations have made the callous choice to lock up thousands of children seeking refuge in the United States of America,” the Minnesota lawmaker said. “As long as we see people seeking a better life as ‘aliens’ instead of fellow human beings, our immigration system will continue to fail us.”
