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Representative Adriano Espaillat Statement Following Death of Migrants Near Eagle Pass, Texas
NEW YORK, NY -- Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Deputy Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), issued the following statement in response to the death of three migrants near Eagle Pass, Texas.
“It is with a heavy heart that I acknowledge the recent tragedy of a mother and two children, who on the evening of January 12, 2024, drowned along a portion of the U.S. southern border located in Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, Texas," said Espaillat.
"This grave news highlights a concerning trend in the increasing number of deaths resulting from migrant families pursuing the American dream and fleeing poverty, persecution, gang violence, or natural disasters, as first responders in Eagle Pass report retrieving approximately 30 bodies from the Rio Grande River monthly since March 2022. These deaths have indisputably been exacerbated by House Republican's failure to address the root causes of migration in the Hemisphere and to provide the necessary resources to support and facilitate safe, lawful pathways to enter the United States such as the asylum-seeking process. Until Congress comes together to enact these much-needed humanitarian reforms, immigrants will continue to die in their attempts to flee persecution and seek a better life in America.
"Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s thoughtless decision to have the Texas National Guard and Texas Military Department seize complete physical control of the U.S. border along Shelby Park may have played a role in these migrant deaths. I am especially disturbed by reports that the State of Texas has repeatedly denied federal authorities from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) access to Shelby Park over the past several weeks, including on the evening of January 12th, 2024. Governor Abbott’s effort to seize control of portions of the border and refusal to cooperate with the federal government’s jurisdiction to enforce immigration laws is nothing short of deplorable and merits a full and fair federal investigation. In the meantime, more deaths will only follow until Governor Abbott ends this shameless political stunt.
"My heart is with the family and friends of the recently deceased, and with every single immigrant seeking a better life in America as my family once did. The death of migrant families are preventable, and are something that every level of government must work hand in hand to reverse. We must set aside political agendas and put people first on all accounts.”
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Representative Espaillat is the first Dominican American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and his congressional district includes Harlem, East Harlem, West Harlem, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill and the north-west Bronx. First elected to Congress in 2016, Representative Espaillat is serving his fourth term in Congress. Representative Espaillat currently serves as a member of the influential U.S. House Committee on Appropriations responsible for funding the federal government’s vital activities and serves as Ranking Member of the Legislative Branch Subcommittee of the committee during the 118th Congress. He is also a member of the House Budget Committee and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), where he serves in a leadership role as the Deputy Chair as well as Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI). Rep. Espaillat is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) and serves as a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. To find out more about Rep. Espaillat, visit online at https://espaillat.house.gov/.
Media inquiries: Candace Person at [email protected]
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